Irish actor Ciarán Hinds has had a long and successful career, with acclaimed projects in TV, film, and the stage. While he played Steppenwolf in Justice League (streaming with a HBO Max subscription) arguably one of his best movies is Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. And after Quentin Tarantino went viral for criticizing Paul Dano's performance, Hinds spoke to CinemaBlend about his memories of working with him.
Back in December Tarantino went viral for his comments about Paul Dano's work in that movie, as well as his acting talents as a whole. Folks like The Batman's director Matt Reeves took to social media to defend him, but hat does Mr. Hinds think about his work on There Will Be Blood? As you can see in the video above, I had the chance to speak with the 73 year-old actor about his new movie Midwinter Break, where I asked him his memories of Dano. He told me:
Oh, he’s a wonderful young actor. And of course the whole reason is suddenly he's playing two parts in it. I mean, that was creativity going at the moment where you make plans, you sort things out, and then the plans go slightly wrong and then you adapt and you still keep creating. And being a creative force, which is Paul Thomas Anderson is a hugely brilliant creative force with Daniel Day-Lewis.
Points were made. Not only did Dano have one memorable performance in There Will Be Blood, but he actually played a pair of twins: Paul & Eli Sunday. This is a big reason why Hinds was impressed by his work on the 2007 drama, which makes sense. I mean, Michael B. Jordan's twin performances in Sinners earned him an Oscar nomination this year. That ability to portray more than one character in the same movie is a different type of talent.
In January Paul Dano finally responded to Tarantino's viral comments, being appreciative that so many people defended his talents. In our conversation Hinds didn't mention the filmmaker by name, but instead focused on what the 41 year-old actor brought to Anderson's movie back in the day. As he continued on:
And the idea that they both put their faith in this very young, I think Paul might have been 23 or 24 at that stage, very young to actually take on the brother, the two brothers. And then the second role in in a major film and the faith they put on and how he took it on. I thought that was fantastic myself.
While Quentin Tarantino might not agree, Hinds was there in person to see the work Paul Dano did on that acclaimed, Oscar-nominated title. Alas, the filmmaker's comments are still making the rounds online.
What Tarantino Said About Paul Dano
Dano hasn't appeared in any Quentin Tarantino movies, and cinephiles probably shouldn't hold out hope for that collaboration. Because while appearing on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, the filmmaker tore into the Little Miss Sunshine star, saying:
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. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He's just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest fucking actor in SAG.
Yikes. He certainly didn't back his opinion, and those comments quickly went viral. Both Dano's fans and friends have since stood up to him, and Ciarán Hinds was clearly impressed by his work on There Will Be Blood.
Hinds' new movie Midwinter Break hits theaters on February 20th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And folks who want to give There Will Be Blood a re-watch can stream it with a Paramount+ subscription.
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