Hollywood squabbles aren’t exactly new, but Quentin Tarantino just kicked up a storm after taking a swipe at Paul Dano. His take on Dano’s acting set social media on fire, with filmmakers and actors lining up to defend the actor, including The Batman director Matt Reeves.
Matt Reeves defends Paul Dano after Quentin Tarantino’s weak sauce comment
Matt Reeves jumped in fast to back Paul Dano after Tarantino’s profanity-laced rant set the internet on fire. Reeves called Dano “an incredible actor and an incredible person” on X (formerly Twitter) a few days after Tarantino labeled Dano “the worst f****** actor in SAG” on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast. Reeves’ post instantly went viral, with fans praising Dano’s chilling, razor-sharp turn as the Riddler in The Batman.
Mattson Tomlin, co-writer of The Batman Part II, also jumped in to defend Paul Dano. On X, he praised the flood of support Dano was getting and gave his two cents, calling him “a terrific actor” with “tremendous empathy.” Tomlin urged everyone to check out Wildlife, Dano’s directorial debut, which proves the same level of craft in his eyes.
The beef began when Tarantino went off on his podcast talking about There Will Be Blood. According to him, the movie got held back by Dano’s acting. He labeled Dano “weak sauce,” and said Daniel Day-Lewis was “eating him alive.”
The Inglourious Basterds director also said that Austin Butler would’ve been a better fit. Tarantino further piled on with a string of colorful, vulgar digs, making it some of the harshest on-record criticism he’s ever aimed at a working actor.
Within the There Will Be Blood crew, Tarantino’s hot take didn’t land. Dillon Freasier, who played H.W. Plainview, told TMZ that Dano nailed the role and called the whole experience “great.” He praised the film as “a work of art” thanks to a perfectly cast team (via TMZ).
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.
