12/04/2025
Tarantino says Paul Dano is the weakest f***ing actor in SAG. Is he right or is he right?
“Daniel Day-Lewis. The old-style craftsmanship quality to the film. It had an old Hollywood craftsmanship without trying to be like that. It was the only film he’s ever done, and I brought it up to him, that doesn’t have a set piece. The fire is the closest to a set piece. This was about dealing with the narrative, dealing with the story, and he did it f***ing amazingly. There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being number one or number two 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 f***ing actor in SAG [laughs].”
Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote 1991 novel American Psycho, suggested Dano faced an impossible task keeping up with Daniel Day-Lewis' Oscar-winning 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," he said.
Tarantino countered: "So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?" Later, he clarified his position, insisting: "I'm not saying he's giving a terrible performance. I'm saying he's giving a non-entity performance." But Tarantino’s feelings on Dano are clear: "I don't care for him," he said.
