Key Insights

• Response to Criticism: Paul Dano addressed Quentin Tarantino’s remarks about him being one of Hollywood’s “weakest” actors.
• Support from Co-stars: Toni Collette defended Dano during the Sundance Film Festival, expressing confusion over Tarantino’s comments.
• Industry Backing: Several actors and the directors of Little Miss Sunshine publicly supported Dano against Tarantino’s criticisms.
• Tarantino’s Remarks: The director labeled Dano as “weak” and criticized his role in There Will Be Blood.

Paul Dano has finally responded to Quentin Tarantino’s surprising comments on the actor being one of the “weakest” stars in Hollywood.

During an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival for the 20th anniversary of his film Little Miss Sunshine, Dano was asked by Variety about Tarantino‘s comments. Before he could answer, his co-star Toni Collette, who was also there, jumped in to defend Dano.

“Are we really going there? F–k that guy! He must’ve been high,” said Collette. “It was just confusing. Who does that?”

Dano said it was nice of Collette to do that, and that he was also “incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.” In the months since Tarantino’s comments, several actors came to the defense of Dano and criticized the legendary director’s remarks.

Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris also took to Dano’s defense. Dayton called Tarantino’s comments an “embarrassment,” while Faris noted that maybe Tarantino was made “uncomfortable” by Dano’s “rawness” in There Will Be Blood. “You know what was interesting was the people coming out to defend Paul. There was immediately… he is loved by so many. He is so smart,” said Faris.

Dano and the other’s comments refer to some less-than-kind things Tarantino said about Dano while on The Bret Easton Ellis podcast in December. Specifically, Tarantino criticized Dano’s appearance in 2007’s There Will Be Blood. The director called Dano “just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” and cited Dano as the singular flaw in what many believe to be a masterpiece movie, and asked why Daniel Day-Lewis was paired with who Quentin believes is “the weakest male actor in SAG.”

Tarantino also name dropped both Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard as actors he didn’t like. “I don’t care for [Paul Dano], I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard,” Quentin said.

While speaking at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio last year, Lillard reacted to the comments, noting that it “sucks” to hear. “Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor,” the Scream actor said, “Eh, whatever. Who gives a s***.”

“Listen, the point is that hurts your feelings. It f***in’ sucks,” Lillard said about Tarantino’s criticisms, “And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”

(Source: Variety)