Quentin Tarantino just dropped a bomb on Paul Dano’s career.
In a recent episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, the legendary Pulp Fiction director tore into Dano’s performance in There Will Be Blood, calling it the film’s “big giant flaw.”
Tarantino didn’t hold back, claiming Dano couldn’t match Daniel Day-Lewis’s powerhouse performance.
But here’s where it gets spicy: industry insiders and Dano’s filmography tell a completely different story.
Tarantino’s Shocking Take on a Critically Acclaimed Performance
Tarantino listed Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 oil drama as his fifth-favorite movie of the 21st century. High praise, right?
Not quite. According to Tarantino, one casting choice prevented the film from claiming the top spot.
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.
The filmmaker argued that There Will Be Blood was supposed to function as a two-hander between Day-Lewis and Dano. In Tarantino’s view, Dano simply couldn’t deliver.
Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander.
“Weak Sauce” and “Limp” — Tarantino Pulls No Punches
Tarantino didn’t stop at mild criticism. He escalated quickly, using colorful language to dismiss Dano’s abilities entirely.
He is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister.
The director suggested Austin Butler would have excelled in the role instead. Interestingly, Butler was only 16 when There Will Be Blood premiered in 2007.
Tarantino cast Butler in his breakout role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood twelve years later in 2019.
He just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy.
When podcast host Bret Easton Ellis attempted defending Dano, suggesting Day-Lewis’s “gargantuan” performance made a true two-hander impossible, Tarantino doubled down.
So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?
A Pattern of Dislike
Tarantino later clarified his position slightly, though not by much.
I’m not saying he’s giving a terrible performance. I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity performance.
When Ellis asked if Tarantino enjoyed Dano in any project, the answer was blunt.
I don’t care for him. I don’t care for him, I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.
Tarantino lumped Dano together with two other actors he apparently can’t stand watching on screen.
The Industry Strongly Disagrees
Despite Tarantino’s harsh assessment, Paul Dano has built an impressive career working with cinema’s most celebrated directors.
His collaborations include Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Bong Joon-ho (Okja), Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners), and Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are).
Kelly Reichardt cast him in Meek’s Cutoff. Rian Johnson wanted him for Looper. Ang Lee directed him in Taking Woodstock.
These aren’t directors known for tolerating weak performances.
Holding His Own Against Hollywood Heavyweights
Dano has shared scenes with some of film’s biggest names throughout his career:
- Tom Cruise in Knight and Day
- Harrison Ford in Cowboys and Aliens
- Robert De Niro in Being Flynn
- Adam Sandler in Spaceman
- Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine
- Robert Pattinson in The Batman
- Michael Caine in Youth
- Daniel Radcliffe in Swiss Army Man
None of these A-listers complained about working with someone who supposedly delivers “non-entity” performances.
Behind-the-Scenes Context Changes Everything
What Tarantino apparently overlooked: Dano’s performance came together under extraordinary pressure.
Originally cast as Paul Sunday, a minor character appearing only at the film’s beginning, Dano suddenly inherited the major role of preacher Eli Sunday when Kel O’Neill exited just two weeks into production.
He had minimal preparation time to craft a performance opposite one of cinema’s most intense method actors. Day-Lewis famously stayed in character throughout entire productions.
Most actors would crumble under that scenario. Dano rose to the occasion.
Critical Acclaim Tells Another Story
Industry professionals disagreed with Tarantino’s assessment when There Will Be Blood premiered.
Dano earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work. He ultimately lost to Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men—the same film that beat There Will Be Blood for Best Picture at the 2008 Oscars.
Critics praised his portrayal of Eli Sunday, noting his ability to convey manipulation, insecurity, and religious fervor simultaneously.
His character served as perfect counterbalance to Day-Lewis’s ruthless capitalist Daniel Plainview. Their clash represented competing American ideologies: unbridled capitalism versus religious control.
Why This Criticism Matters
Tarantino remains one of cinema’s most influential voices. When he speaks, people listen.
His dismissal of Dano carries weight, potentially influencing public perception despite contradicting both critical consensus and industry respect.
However, this also reveals something important: even legendary filmmakers have blind spots. Personal taste doesn’t always align with objective quality.
Tarantino’s track record speaks for itself—Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds. But his opinion on Paul Dano stands alone against overwhelming evidence.
Directors like Spielberg, Villeneuve, and McQueen continue casting Dano in challenging roles. They see something Tarantino apparently missed.
Sometimes genius recognizes genius. Sometimes it doesn’t.