Paul Dano Finally Breaks His Silence After Tarantino’s “Weakest Actor in SAG” Jab

Nearly two decades after its release, There Will Be Blood is still talked about as one of the most important films of the 2000s. But recently, the movie was pulled back into the spotlight for a very different reason. This time, it was because of harsh words from Quentin Tarantino aimed directly at actor Paul Dano.

The situation started on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast, where Tarantino was talking about what he believes are the best films of the 21st century. While praising There Will Be Blood, Tarantino said the film did not earn the top spot on his list because of Dano’s performance. According to Tarantino, the movie was meant to be carried by two actors, but in his view, that never happened.

During the podcast, Tarantino said, Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander. But it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. [Daniel] is eating him [alive]. He also claimed that Austin Butler would have been a better choice to play the twin brothers Paul and Eli Sunday. The comments went viral after Tarantino reportedly referred to Dano as the weakest f**** actor in SAG and the limpest d*** in the world.

For a while, Dano stayed quiet. That changed during a 20th anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine at the Sundance Film Festival. When Dano was asked about Tarantino’s comments, his co-star Toni Collette jumped in before he could respond. Collette didn’t hold back and said, Are we really going there? F*** that guy! He must’ve been high… it was just confusing. Who does that?

Dano took a calmer approach. Speaking to Variety, he explained that he didn’t feel the need to respond strongly because so many people had already defended him. That was really nice, Dano said. I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.

The directors of Little Miss Sunshine, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, also shared their thoughts at the Sundance event in Park City. Dayton called Tarantino’s public criticism of another actor an embarrassment.

Faris added that the reaction to Tarantino’s comments showed how respected Dano is in the industry. You know what was interesting was the people coming out to defend Paul. There was immediately… he is loved by so many. He is so smart, she said.

Despite the criticism, Dano’s career has continued to grow. He received strong praise for playing the Riddler in The Batman and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in Escape at Dannemora. According to industry reports, his schedule is only getting busier. He is currently filming the psychological thriller Bunker with Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and he is set to star in the A24 film The Chaperones alongside Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson.

The Little Miss Sunshine anniversary event also reminded many people of Dano’s long history in independent film. The movie, which also starred Steve Carell and Abigail Breslin, remains a standout example of indie cinema finding success at the Oscars.

As the debate continues online, many well-known figures have shown support for Dano. According to Access Hollywood, Daniel Day-Lewis personally backed Dano following the podcast controversy, adding more weight to the wave of support from fans and fellow actors.

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