Last week, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction”) went on the “The Bret Easton Ellis” podcast and made disparaging comments towards several actors. The 2 time Oscar winner specifically targeted Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood”), Owen Wilson (“Midnight in Paris”), and Matthew Lillard (“Scream 7”). His remarks have led to an onslaught of support for Dano and Lillard from both fans and industry veterans.
On the podcast, Tarantino was ranking his top 20 movies of the 21st century. Among some of his picks was Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film “There Will Be Blood.” But, he had one major issue with it: Dano’s acting.
“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander,” he said. “[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 fucking actor in SAG [laughs].”
(Butler was born in 1991, meaning he was only 16 when the film hit theaters. At the time, he was just starting out in roles on shows like “iCarly” and “Hannah Montana”)
“I don’t care for [Dano], I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard,” Tarantino adds.
The Defense of Dano
Once Tarantino’s remarks about Dano in “There Will Be Blood” went public, there was an outpouring of support for the actor.
“I am really pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano this week,” wrote Mattson Tomlin (“The Batman: Part II”) on X (formerly Twitter). “Not only is he a terrific actor, but he’s an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy,” Tomlin wrote on X/Twitter.
“The film is perfect. It’s a work of art. And it’s that way because everyone was perfectly cast,” Dillon Freasier (“There Will Be Blood”) told TMZ.
“idk man i think Paul Dano is an incredible actor,” wrote Simu Liu (“Barbie”) on X.
But probably the most surprising was Daniel Day-Lewis. The celebrated actor mostly uses his Instagram account to post about his work. But following all of this, his account made a rare comment. “Paul Dano is one of the best and most talented actors of his generation.”
Matthew Lillard Responds
Lillard responded to Tarantino’s remarks over the weekend while speaking at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio.
“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor. Eh, whatever. Who gives a shit,” he told fans. “Listen, the point is that it hurts your feelings. It fuckin’ sucks, and you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”
“I’m very popular in this room. I’m not very popular in Hollywood,” he explains. “Two totally different microcosms, right? And so, you know, it’s humbling, and it hurts.” To which a fan screamed, “We love you.” The caring remark was met by a sea of applause.
Lillard’s meme lord status as Shaggy in “Scooby Doo” probably doesn’t hurt his popularity outside of Hollywood either.
At this point, we think it’s obvious who had the bad take here.
You can check out a video of Lillard responding to the criticism below:
