Quentin Tarantino ignited a firestorm in December when he publicly criticized actor Paul Dano, calling him a “weak sauce” performer. Now, a month later, Dano has responded to the filmmaker’s harsh words, acknowledging the outpouring of support he received from colleagues.
A Hollywood Rallying Cry
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Dano publicly addressed Tarantino’s comments at the Sundance Film Festival during a 20th anniversary screening of “Little Miss Sunshine.” Speaking to Variety, he said the widespread support “was really nice.” He also expressed gratitude that “the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”
Tarantino’s Controversial Ranking
The controversy began when Tarantino appeared on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast in December to reveal his top 10 films of the century. He placed Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed “There Will Be Blood” at No.5, but singled out Dano-not his performance-as the film’s major weakness. “There Will Be Blood” features Dano as the fervent preacher Eli Sunday, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis as oil magnate Daniel Plainview.
“He is weak sauce,man. He’s a weak sister,” Tarantino stated on the podcast, adding that he believed “Elvis” star Austin Butler, who was a teenager at the time the film was released, would have been a more suitable choice for the role. “He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” Tarantino continued. He further asserted, “You put [Day-Lewis] with the the weakest f- actor in SAG?”
Industry Support for Dano
Dano’s peers were quick to defend him. “Escape at Dannemora” executive producer Ben Stiller praised Dano as “brilliant,” while Reese Witherspoon described her “Inherent Vice” co-star as an “incredibly gifted, versatile actor” and a gentleman.Matt Reeves, Josh Gad, Alec baldwin, and Simu Liu also voiced thier support for Dano, whose filmography includes Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated “The Fabelmans,” Bong Joon Ho’s “Okja,” and the Oscar-winning “Swiss Army Man” from directing duo Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert).
Before Dano commented, toni Collette, who played his mother in “Little Miss Sunshine,” dismissed Tarantino’s remarks, suggesting “he must’ve been high.” “It was just confusing. Who does that?” she said, according to variety. The film’s directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, also criticized Tarantino and lauded Dano’s work.
A wider Critique
Tarantino’s podcast appearance wasn’t limited to criticism of Dano. He also took aim at actors Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard. Lillard, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly published Wednesday, described the reaction to Tarantino’s comments as “like living through your own wake.”
“All those R.I.P. emails or tweets and Instagram posts and TikToks,all of the things we see after somebody passes are so sweet,” Lillard told entertainment Weekly. “And the reality is I just got to live through all of it firsthand – alive and kicking! I can’t imagine a more lovely reaction to what happened.”
