After Tarantino’s attack: The actor is grateful for the support of his colleagues.
A few weeks ago, cult director Quentin Tarantino spoke about Paul Dano, but he didn’t come off well and the filmmaker criticized him harshly. Now the actor is publicly responding to the criticism for the first time.
This is how Tarantino dealt
The “Kill Bill” maker spoke in December 2025 with author Bret Easton Ellis on his podcast about all sorts of film topics. He came up with Paul Dano and his appearance in the film “There Will Be Blood”. Quentin Tarantino called the actor a “big gigantic mistake” and added: “Such a weak, boring guy. The weakest damn actor in SAG.”
Paul Dano grateful for support
On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, a 20th anniversary screening of the road trip classic “Little Miss Sunshine” was held, which was also attended by Paul Dano. As part of the screening, the actor commented on the star director’s criticism for the first time in an interview. Speaking to Variety, he spoke about his enormous gratitude for the public support he received after Tarantino’s nasty words: “I was also incredibly grateful that the world stood up for me so that I didn’t have to.” Dano added: “That was really nice.” However, he wanted to avoid a direct confrontation with the director.
Film colleagues are becoming clearer
While the “Prisoners” actor reacted mildly to Tarantino’s meanness, his “Little Miss Sunshine” colleagues found more direct words at the special screening. Toni Collette, for example, came down hard on the Oscar-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, saying: “Fuck that guy! He must have been really high… It was just confusing. Who does something like that?”
Jonathan Dayton, co-director of “Little Miss Sunshine,” also clearly supported Paul Dano and called Quentin Tarantino’s words an “embarrassment.” He also said: “I can only imagine that Tarantino felt uncomfortable with the immediacy of his performance. He wasn’t easily pigeonholed.”
Matthew Lillard and Owen Wilson also criticized
During his appearance on the podcast, Paul Dano wasn’t the only actor criticized by Quentin Tarantino. He also didn’t have much use for Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard. Tarantino said about Matthew Lillard that he was “really not” interested in him. The actor responded relatively quickly to the criticism, saying such words “hurt feelings.” In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly on January 28, 2026, he also reiterated Paul Dano’s statements about the public support they received following criticism from one of Hollywood’s greatest directors. Lillard continued: “It was like witnessing your own wake.”
He also reported: “All the condolences via email, tweet, Instagram and TikTok – everything we see after the death of a loved one is so touching. And the reality is that I experienced it all first hand – alive! I can’t imagine a nicer reaction to what happened.” Finally, Matthew Lillard added: “Nobody has to like me. Nobody has to like any actor at all, obviously. It’s a matter of taste. I’m not everyone’s first choice, that’s obvious, but that reaction was beautiful.”
Support for the actors criticized by Quentin Tarantino also came from big names in the industry. For example, when George Clooney received the AARP on January 10, 2026, he said in his acceptance speech that it “would be an honor” to work with all three criticized actors.
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