Paul Dano Finally Hits Back at Quentin Tarantino's 'Weakest Actor' Jibe Amid Hollywood Backlash Over 'Cruel' Comments
Paul Dano has finally responded to comments made by Quentin Tarantino slamming his acting pedigree.
Jan. 29 2026, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Paul Dano has finally hit back at Quentin Tarantino's cruel and unexpected attack on his acting ability, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The legendary director sparked a huge backlash among Hollywood performers, as well as fans, for his harsh assessment of Dano's qualities.
First Words Since Tarantino Attack
Dano thanked the many Hollywood stars who came to his defense.
He blasted the actor’s performance in the 2007 movie There Will Be Blood, branding him "a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” and a "giant flaw" in the otherwise excellent Paul Thomas Anderson-directed drama.
But at a 20th anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine at the Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday, January 28, Dano, 41, was finally asked his reaction, and before he could respond, his co-star Toni Collette, 53, interjected, saying: "Are we really going there? F--- that guy! He must've been high… it was just confusing. Who does that?"
When Dano got the chance to add his view after Collette's passionate defense, he said, "That was really nice. I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me, so I didn't have to."
'Loved By So Many'
Dano's co-star in 'Little Miss Sunshine,' Toni Collette, slammed Tarantino for his remarks.
As well as Collette, Little Miss Sunshine director Jonathan Dayton, 68, also had Dano's back, describing Tarantino's blast of the actor as an "embarrassment."
"I can only think that his rawness of his performance made Tarantino uncomfortable," Dayton said. "He couldn't be easily filed."
Fellow Little Miss Sunshine director Valerie Faris, 67, also spoke up for the Fabelmans actor, saying he is "loved by so many" and "so smart."
"You know what was interesting was the people coming out to defend Paul," she noted.
Many stars shot to Dano's defense following Tarantino’s criticism, including Simu Liu, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, and director Matt Reeves.
Hollywood Heavyweights Back Fellow Star
Ben Stiller had his own passionate response to the director's takedown, saying 'Paul Dano is f------ brilliant.'
"Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person," Reeves, who directed him in The Batman, wrote on X, while Stiller, who worked with Dano on Escape at Dannemora, wrote on his own X account: "Paul Dano is f------ brilliant."
While speaking about his favorite films of the 21st century on Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast in December, Tarantino put Anderson's There Will Be Blood at Number 5, but told Ellis it would have been number one or two if Dano wasn't in it, comparing his performance unfavorably to that of the film's star, Daniel Day-Lewis.
"Obviously, it's supposed to be a two-hander. But it's also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander," Tarantino told Ellis.
"(Dano) is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. (Day-Lewis) is eating him (alive). Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role."
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Tarantino criticized Dano's performance in 2007 movie, 'There Will Be Blood.'
"(Dano) is just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. Daniel Day-Lewis shows that he doesn't need a strong foil," the Oscar winner continued.
"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 f------ actor in SAG? The limpest d--- in the world?
"I am not saying he is giving a terrible performance, I am saying he's giving a non-entity performance … I don't care for him," Tarantino concluded, also criticizing the acting of Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard.
