Paul Dano has responded to Quentin Tarantino's scathing criticism of his acting abilities, thanking those who came to his defence after the director called him a “weak, uninteresting guy” and “the limpest dick in the world”.
Speaking to Variety on Wednesday, the actor said the supportive responses from his peers and across social media were “really nice”. He added: “I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn't have to.”
Tarantino made the remarks on Bret Easton Ellis's podcast in December while discussing his favourite films of the 21st century. He placed Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood at No 5, but said it would have been higher if Dano were not in it, comparing his performance unfavourably with that of Daniel Day-Lewis. “He is weak sauce, man,” Tarantino said. “He is the weak sister. Daniel Day-Lewis shows that he doesn't need a strong foil. The movie needs it.”
Many of Dano's peers have since rallied to his support. A representative for Day-Lewis said the actor agreed Dano was among “the best and most talented actors of his generation”. Reese Witherspoon called him “an incredibly gifted, versatile actor”, while director Matt Reeves, who worked with Dano on The Batman, described him as “an incredible actor, and an incredible person”. Ben Stiller said Dano was “fucking brilliant”, and George Clooney used an awards speech to say he would be “honoured” to work with the actor.
Dano's Little Miss Sunshine co-star Toni Collette also weighed in, saying of Tarantino: “Fuck that guy! He must've been high.” The film's co-director Jonathan Dayton called the remarks an “embarrassment”, and Matthew Lillard, who was also criticised by Tarantino, said: “It hurts your feelings. It fucking sucks. And you wouldn't say that to Tom Cruise.”
