Quentin Tarantino hits out at 'weakest f*cking actor' in Hollywood - it’s not gone down well
The much-loved 'Pulp Fiction' director refused to hold back
Despite having a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy under his belt, one A-list actor felt the fiery wrath of movie director Quentin Tarantino this week, who slammed him as the 'weakest' in the game.
The 62-year-old filmmaker appeared on the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast this week, where he was asked of his favourite blockbuster flicks of the 21st century - a big question for a man often dubbed one of the grittiest and creative directors in on-screen history.
As a reminder, Tarantino is the genius behind the likes of Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, as well as Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and most recently, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.
Famed for his flare for extreme profanity, passionate dialogues, gut-wrenching violence and working with some of the biggest names in the industry, the Tennessee star has accumulated a colossal cult following over the years.
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So, if there's any director you desperately want to win over as an actor hoping to take over the Hollywood film scene, it's Tarantino.
Unfortunately, however, one much-loved star - who already has a plethora of prestigious accolades under his belt - has, so far, failed to do so in the director's own view.
Listing his favourite films on the show, Tarantino kicked off with Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down in first place, and ended with Steven Spielberg's West Side Story in 20th. Interestingly, he placed Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 eight-time Oscar-winning masterpiece, There Will Be Blood, in fifth place.
The sole reason he refused to place it higher? Paul Dano's appearance.
He branded the 41-year-old star the movie's 'giant flaw', despite him playing a dual role in the period flick at the age of just 23, and earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting actor.
"There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being number one or two if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it," Tarantino explained his decision. "And the flaw is Paul Dano."
The filmmaker went on to compare New York-born Dano's performance as 'Paul Sunday' and his twin brother 'Eli' to that of the production's lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who played oilman Daniel Plainview - a role which earned him the Best Actor win at that year's Academy Awards.
"Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander," Tarantino continued. "But it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister."
Asked who should have taken on the role of the Sunday brothers, he name-dropped Austin Butler, despite him being just 16 when the film was released.
"Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role," Tarantino continued. "[Dano] is just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f*cking actor in SAG."
After podcast host Easton Ellis pointed out that Day-Lewis made it 'impossible to make it a two-hander' given several 'gargantuan' aspects to his performance, Tarantino doubled down, slamming the decision to implement Dano into the Screen Actors Guild.
"So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG?" he questioned, going on to claim: "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."
Honing back in on Dano specifically, he concluded: "I’m not saying [Dano]’s giving a terrible performance. I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity performance."
Unsurprisingly, the director's comments have prompted much debate online, with many defending Dano, who has since gone on to boast one of the most successful track records of movie performances within the last three two decades.
"Quentin losing it. Dano was great," one Instagram user hit out. "It’s also just really mean spirited and pointless to say this."
Another added: "I’m in shock he would say that. I find Dano very talented and he killed it in that role."
"Wtf?" questioned a third. "Dano is probably one of the best working actors. He's also a great writer and director."
Tyla contacted Dano's reps for comment.
Topics: TV And Film, Celebrity, US News
Rhianna Benson