Matt Reeves defends Paul Dano after Quentin Tarantino brands him ‘weakest actor in SAG’

Oscar-winning filmmaker recently labeled the ‘There Will Be Blood’ star’s performance ‘weak’

Paul Dano has received crucial support from his The Batman director after Quentin Tarantino ripped into the actor’s performance in the 2007 Western thriller There Will Be Blood.

Dano, 41, who starred as preacher Eli Sunday, alongside depraved oil baron Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), in the Paul Thomas Anderson classic, recently faced an unprompted attack from Tarantino, who labeled him the movie’s “big, giant flaw.”

“[Dano] is just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” the Oscar-winning Django Unchained director said on a recent episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast. “The weakest f***ing actor in SAG.”

Following Tarantino’s unsparing remarks, fans on social media came out in strong defense of Dano, including Matt Reeves, who directed him in the 2022 Robert Pattinson-led The Batman.

“Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person,” Reeves said of The Riddler actor on X. His defense of Dano came on the heels of his The Batman Part II co-writer Mattson Tomlin. Dano is expected to reprise his role of the psychotic supervillain in the forthcoming sequel.

“I am really pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano this week,” the Mother/Android filmmaker added on X. “Not only is he a terrific actor, but he’s an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy.”

Paul Dano's (left) performance in 'There Will Be Blood' was recently slammed by Quentin Tarantino (right) as 'weak' (Getty)

Day-Lewis and Dano in 'There Will Be Blood' (Miramax)

During his podcast appearance, Tarantino was offering his list of the best movies of the 21st century. Ranking There Will Be Blood at number five, he noted that it “would stand a better chance to be in number one or number two if it didn’t have a big giant flaw in it.”

“The flaw is Paul Dano,” he continued. “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.”

The 62-year-old Pulp Fiction director instead suggested that he would have preferred his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Austin Butler in the role.

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“I’m not saying [Dano’s] giving a terrible performance,” Tarantino added. “I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity [performance]. I don’t care for him.”

Paul Dano as The Riddler in ‘The Batman’ (Warner Bros Pictures)

Dano is an acclaimed actor, best known for performances in films such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Meek’s Cutoff (2010) and The Fabelmans (2022).

While Dano’s portrayal of mute teenager Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine garnered him widespread recognition, it was his performance as the charismatic and manipulative preacher in There Will Be Blood that is widely considered his breakout role.

In 2022, he made his first venture into the world of superhero films and comic book properties in Reeves’ The Batman, starring Pattinson. Dano’s portrayal of The Riddler, left a lasting impact on viewers, with several praising his performance as “perfect” and “amazing.”

“There are enough comic book movies where you just know what you’re gonna get. Reading the script for The Batman, you knew it was a real film,” Dano told The Independent in 2024. “Every sentence… that’s just [writer/director] Matt Reeves.”