Liputan6.com, Jakarta Renowned director Quentin Tarantino recently sparked heated debate in the film industry by sharply criticizing actor Paul Dano's performance.
This criticism specifically targeted Dano's role in the 2007 epic film, "There Will Be Blood," which starred Daniel Day-Lewis.
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Quentin Tarantino's controversial comments were made during an appearance on "The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast" in December 2025.
This statement immediately became a hot topic, given Dano's widely acclaimed acting reputation.
Tarantino did not hesitate to call Paul Dano's performance a "major flaw" that prevented "There Will Be Blood" from reaching the top of his list of favorite films.
Quentin Tarantino's Sharp Criticism of Paul Dano
In the podcast session, Quentin Tarantino ranked "There Will Be Blood" as his fifth favorite film of the 21st century.
However, he asserted that the film could have placed first or second if it hadn't been for the "major flaw" he identified with Paul Dano.
"There Will Be Blood would stand a better chance to be in number 1 or number 2 if it didn't have a big giant flaw in it, and the flaw is Paul Dano," he said on the most recent episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast
"He is weak sauce, man. He's a weak sister," he said, noting that he thinks "another terrific actor" could have excelled in the role. "Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. [Dano] just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy."
The Oscar-winning director also drew a stark comparison between Paul Dano and Daniel Day-Lewis, stating that Dano wasn't on the same level.
Tarantino even compared Day-Lewis to Muhammad Ali and Dano to Jerry Quarry, an analogy that highlighted the difference in acting quality in his view.
Furthermore, Quentin Tarantino suggested that actor Austin Butler would be "amazing" in the role, even though Butler was only 16 at the time of "There Will Be Blood."
Ellis' Defense for Paul Dano
After the criticize made by Tarantino, Ellis attempted to defend Dano's performance.
"Daniel Day-Lewis also makes it impossible to make it a two-hander because there are aspects of that performance that are so gargantuan," the American Psycho author said.
"So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG?" Tarantino responded. "The limpest dick in the world?"
The filmmaker later clarified, "I'm not saying he's giving a terrible performance. I'm saying he's giving a non-entity performance."
Ellis then asked if Tarantino had ever enjoyed Dano in any project.
"I don't care for him," the filmmaker responded. "I don't care for him, I don't care for Owen Wilson, and I don't care for Matthew Lillard."
Public Reaction to Tarantino Comments
Quentin Tarantino's harsh criticism immediately sparked a wave of backlash from fans and film critics on various social media platforms.
Many opposed Tarantino's assessment, calling it "completely wrong" and unfair to Paul Dano.
It's worth noting that Paul Dano's performance in "There Will Be Blood" received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences.
He even earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for the role, a testament to his professionally recognized acting skills.
Furthermore, that same year, Dano also won the Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards) for his performance in "Little Miss Sunshine."
Some also argued that Tarantino's criticism ignored the nuances of Dano's character and the pressures of film production.
Dano was originally cast solely as Paul Sunday, but later took on the dual role of Eli Sunday after another actor dropped out two weeks into production, demonstrating his incredible adaptability and versatility.