Quentin Tarantino has ignited a fresh film-world flare-up after calling Paul Dano the “weakest male actor in SAG” and the “big, giant flaw” in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, prompting sharp backlash from fans and a visible show of support from Dano’s collaborators.
Speaking on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast on December 2, Tarantino ranked There Will Be Blood fifth on his list of 21st-century movies, then argued it “would stand a good chance at being number one or two” without Dano. He complained that the film, conceived as a two-hander opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, fails on that front because Dano is “weak sauce” and a “weak sister.”
Tarantino went further, calling Dano “a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” “the weakest male actor in SAG” and even “the limpest d–k in the world,” before insisting he does not think the performance is “terrible,” only a “non-entity.” He suggested Austin Butler would have been “wonderful” in the role, and said he does not “care for” Dano, Owen Wilson or Matthew Lillard. Host Bret Easton Ellis pushed back, arguing that keeping pace with Day-Lewis’ “gargantuan” turn as Daniel Plainview would be “impossible” for nearly any actor.
The remarks hit a nerve because There Will Be Blood has long been treated as a modern classic, frequently ranked near the top of lists of 21st-century films. Day-Lewis won an Oscar for the performance, and Dano’s work as twins Paul and Eli Sunday has often been singled out as a key part of the movie’s tension.
Film fans quickly rallied online, reposting clips of Dano’s scenes and pointing to later work in Little Miss Sunshine, Prisoners, The Fabelmans and The Batman as evidence of range and presence. Threads on X and Instagram framed Tarantino’s tirade as personal taste rather than an authoritative verdict, with some critics arguing that Dano’s nervy, brittle energy plays directly into the movie’s portrait of religious and economic zealotry.
Support from colleagues has followed. Dillon Freasier, who played H.W. Plainview, told TMZ the film “is perfect… a work of art” and said it worked because “everyone was perfectly cast,” dismissing the Butler suggestion by pointing out the actor was a teenager at the time. Trade coverage has also highlighted posts from The Batman co-writer Mattson Tomlin and actor Simu Liu praising Dano and rejecting the idea that he weakened the film. Dano has not commented publicly, leaving others to answer a debate that shows how fiercely contemporary audiences protect both revered films and the performers who helped define them.
