Paul Dano breaks silence on Quentin Tarantino's attack on his acting: "The world spoke up for me so I didn't have to"

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Paul Dano breaks silence on Quentin Tarantino's attack on his acting: "The world spoke up for me so I didn't have to" News By Mireia Mullor published 30 January 2026

The Batman star was grateful for the support

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Paul Dano has finally addressed the controversial comments Quentin Tarantino directed towards him last month. During an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, the filmmaker called Dano "weak sauce" due to his performance in There Will Be Blood, branding him as "the weakest male actor in SAG."

Several Hollywood names and numerous fans took to social media to speak up in his defense, which the actor really appreciated. "That was really nice," Dano told Variety this week. "I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to."

His Little Miss Sunshine co-star Toni Collette was less discreet. "F*** that guy! He must've been high… it was just confusing. Who does that?" she said in the same interview, which took place ahead of a 20th anniversary screening of the 2006 film at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

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Collette wasn't the only notable Hollywood name saying their piece on the matter. The Batman director Matt Reeves also defended Dano, who played The Riddler in the DC movie. "Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person," he wrote on Twitter.

"Paul Dano is f-ing brilliant," tweeted Ben Stiller, while Marvel star Simu Liu quipped: "idk man i think paul dano is an incredible actor." Maya Rudolph shared images of Paul Dano on Instagram, showing support following Tarantino's comments.

Regardless of Tarantino's opinion, Dano's career speaks for itself. The actor was nominated for a BAFTA award for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's film, and he also has an Independent Spirit Award win and two Emmy and three Critics' Choice Movie Awards nominations to his name.

Next up, he is set to join The Long Walk's stars Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson in a new film called The Chaperones, directed by India Donaldson.

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Mireia MullorContributing Writer

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.

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