Some people say that honesty is the best policy, though in Quentin Tarantino’s case, he may want to choose his words more carefully. During a recent interview on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino revealed his Top 10 movies of the 21st Century. However, alongside the reveal, he admitted that even some of his favorite films contain performances from actors he can’t stand, including Paul Dano in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Tarantino caught heat for his opinion from fans, filmmakers, and critics alike. Still, he’s not finished taking more actors to task. While speaking at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio (via Entertainment Weekly), Matthew Lillard reacted to Tarantino saying, “I don’t care for Matthew Lillard” during Easton’s podcast.
What was Matthew Lillard’s reaction to Tarantino’s hurtful words?
“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor,” the Scream and Five Nights at Freddy’s actor said to fans. Rightfully so, the crowd booed at the idea of the man they’d come to see getting picked on by the Pulp Fiction director. “Eh, whatever. Who gives a shit,” Lillard continued.
While Lillard appeared to shrug off Tarantino’s words, he added that the filmmaker’s words did sting. “It hurts your feelings. It fucking sucks,” he said. “And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”
Reflecting on the situation, Lillard said Tarantino’s hurtful words remind him that the love he gets from a room full of adoring fans won’t always be the way people react throughout the industry. “I’m very popular in this room. I’m not very popular in Hollywood,” Lillard said. “Two totally different microcosms, right? And so, you know, it’s humbling, and it hurts.”
While Lillard comes to terms with Tarantino’s hurtful summary of his ability to light up screens, people are still reeling from the filmmaker’s comments about Paul Dano, who’s considered by many to be an exceptional actor.
What did Tarantino say about Paul Dano?
“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander. But it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander,” Tarantino said about Dano in There Will Be Blood. “[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. [Daniel] is eating him [alive]. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. Daniel Day-Lewis shows that he doesn’t need a strong foil. The movie needs it. He doesn’t need anything. It’s supposed to be a two-hander and it’s not! … you put him with the weakest fucking actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?”
Well, I don’t know if Tarantino is making any new friends after his appearance on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast, but at least we know where he stands. Are you a Matthew Lillard fan? What about Paul Dano? Do you think Tarantino went overboard? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Variety, Entertainment Weekly
