Tarantino Claims Paul Dano Held Back What Could Have Been the Greatest 21st Century Film

Quentin Tarantino recently shared his picks for the best films of the 21st century, and one movie that caught his attention was There Will Be Blood.

He praised Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance and the film’s classic craftsmanship but criticized Paul Dano’s role. Tarantino said, “Daniel Day-Lewis. The old-style craftsmanship quality to the film. It had an old Hollywood craftsmanship without trying to be like that… ‘There Will Be Blood’ would stand a good chance at being #1 or #2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano.”

“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. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f**** actor in SAG [laughs].” Tarantino said.

There Will Be Blood is a 2007 period drama written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The movie is loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciarán Hinds, and Dillon Freasier. It follows Daniel Plainview, a miner-turned-oilman, as he seeks wealth during California’s oil boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Filming began in June 2006 on a ranch in Marfa, Texas, and took three months, with some additional scenes shot in Los Angeles. Anderson originally cast Paul Dano in a smaller role as Paul Sunday.

Two weeks into filming, he replaced Kel O’Neill with Dano in the larger role of Eli Sunday, the preacher brother. Dano had only four days to prepare for the role and studied the historical period and evangelical preachers to get ready. Scenes with Eli and Plainview had to be re-shot with Dano in place of O’Neill.

Despite Tarantino’s criticism of Dano, the film received widespread acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% approval rating based on 245 reviews, with an average score of 8.5/10. The site calls it “a masterpiece” and highlights the performances of both Day-Lewis and Dano. Metacritic gives it a score of 93 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim.

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