Quentin Tarantino went viral for his absurdly hateful comments last month, most of which centered on actors Paul Dano and Matthew Lillard. He criticized them endlessly, even calling out Dano’s performance in There Will Be Blood and claiming Dano is the sole reason that movie’s not a masterpiece.
He went on a tangent, ripping Dano and bringing Matthew Lillard into the mix as well. The internet reacted in full force, but neither Lillard nor Dano really said anything. Until now. Finally, they’ve opened up about their experience in that rollercoaster moment for the film industry.
Matthew Lillard, Paul Dano Open Up About What Quentin Tarantino Said
In December, Matthew Lillard and Paul Dano, two beloved actors, came under fire through no fault of their own. Known babblet Quentin Tarantino just decided he wasn’t relevant enough at the moment. He may have also drummed up controversy to promote his Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair release and its extra scene shown in Fortnite.
Whatever the reason, he ripped Dano and Matthew Lillard to shreds. Finally, Lillard and Dano have said their piece. Lillard said via Entertainment Weekly, “It was like living through your own wake. All those R.I.P. emails or tweets and Instagram posts and TikToks, all of the things we see after somebody passes are so sweet. And the reality is I just got to live through all of it firsthand — alive and kicking! I can’t imagine a more lovely reaction to what happened… It was crazy.”
Lillard even went on to say he keeps showing his wife to prove he’s still “worthy” and that people still like him. He understands he’s not “everyone’s first choice,” but to see the outpouring of love and appreciation for him after a snide remark was nice. At the time, he also said it hurt him to hear Tarantino’s comments.
Dano was the victim of much more vitriol. Lillard’s name was thrown in in passing, while Dano was cut down from every possible angle by Tarantino. Dano said he was “incredibly grateful” for everyone coming to his defense in the wake of the comments. “That was really nice … the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to,” he said.
What Did Quentin Tarantino Say?
Quentin Tarantino was discussing his top 20 films of all time, and he had some interesting choices. His top four, which would serve as his Letterboxd top four if he had one, were Black Hawk Down, Toy Story 3, Lost in Translation, and Dunkirk. There Will Be Blood was fifth, and that’s when Tarantino went on his spiel.
“‘There Will Be Blood’ would stand a good chance at being #1 or #2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano. Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister,” he said via Pop Culture News. “Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f*****g actor in SAG.”
Never mind the fact that Dano has been nominated for and won several awards, There Will Be Blood is widely considered one of the best movies of all time, and it couldn’t be so with a horrible supporting actor performance. In fact, Tarantino’s own placement of the film in his top five suggests he’s not as displeased with Dano’s Paul and Eli Sunday as he seems to be.
Conclusion
It was incredibly stupid of Quentin Tarantino to call out Paul Dano and Matthew Lillard, although Owen Wilson was also named, but his inclusion didn’t come with internet anger. Either way, Dano is one of the most celebrated younger actors working today, and Lillard is a huge fan favorite. It was foolish then, and it’s foolish now, and fortunately, as Dano alluded to, the world took up for them so the two actors didn’t have to.
