Quentin Tarantino's movies have made a huge impact on Hollywood, and are basically universally acclaimed. The Oscar-winning filmmaker is known for his scorching hot takes about the industry, and most recently Tarantino criticized actor Paul Dano, calling him "the weakest fucking actor in SAG." Folks have been coming out to defend him, most recently including The Batman director Matt Reeves. And his message is very sweet.
Dano played a chilling Riddler in The Batman, which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription. Matt Reeves worked closely with him on that DC movie, so he's experienced his acting talents firsthand. The director took to Twitter to stand up for Dano, posting:
Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person.
There you have it. Despite what Tarantino thinks about his "weak sauce" performance in There Will Be Blood (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription), Reeves praised Paul Dano as both a performer and a person. And he's not the only one who has taken up for the 41 year-old actor after Tarantino's scathing critiques went viral.
The Batman writer Mattson Tomlin also posted in defense of Dano, so clearly folks on that movie's set was impressed with what he brought to the table as Riddler. And the actor's long resume speaks for itself, with acclaimed role in projects like The Fablemans, 12 Years A Slave, Little Miss Sunshine, and many more. If he were a weak actor one would assume he wouldn't work nearly as much as he does.
So what exactly did Quentin Tarantino say about him? While appearing on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, the Kill Bill director claimed that Dano brought down There Will Be Blood, claiming:
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.
Ouch. Rather than simply saying Dano's performance style wasn't for him, the legendary filmmaker claimed that he was the worst actor in the entire Screen Actors Guild. This is a bold statement, and the inclusion of F-Bombs have helped to make his words viral. And now folks are coming out of the woodwork to defend the actor's talents.
Fans are wondering if Dano will return as Riddler in The Batman Part II, which has been delayed until October of 2027. Since it's not even on the 2026 movie release list, fans are going to have to be patient. Although I think we all assume that Tarantino would rather his Riddler not pop back up.
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