Quentin Tarantino criticizes actor Paul Dano as 'weak sauce'

Quentin Tarantino openly expressed his criticism of actor Paul Dano during a recent appearance on "The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast," where he discussed his top 10 films of the 21st century. Tarantino listed Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood as his fifth favorite movie since 2000 but highlighted a "major flaw" in the film Dano's performance.

The 41-year-old Dano starred alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, who won an Academy Award for his role. Tarantino, 62, argued that the two actors did not share equal footing in the film. "It's meant to be a two-hander, but it's glaringly obvious that it isn't," he said. "He is weak sauce, man. He's a weak sister."

The director continued, describing Dano as "uninteresting" and suggesting that Austin Butler would have been a stronger choice for the part. When host Bret Easton Ellis noted the prominence of Day-Lewis' role, Tarantino replied, "So you pair him with the weakest male actor in SAG? I'm not saying he's terrible, just that he's giving a non-entity performance."

When asked about other performances by Dano, Tarantino struggled to recall any he admired, adding that he also isn't fond of actors like Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard.

Paul Dano has been recognized for his acting with a BAFTA nomination for There Will Be Blood, Primetime Emmy nominations for roles in the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" reboot and Escape at Dannemora, and a Golden Globe nomination for Love & Mercy, which also earned him a Gotham Award. His filmography includes appearances in 12 Years a Slave, Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans, and Matt Reeves' The Batman.

During the podcast, Tarantino also revealed his full top 20 films of the century, which included:

1. Ridley Scott Black Hawk Down
2. Lee Unkrich Toy Story 3
3. Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation
4. Christopher Nolan Dunkirk
5. Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood
6. David Fincher Zodiac
7. Tony Scott Unstoppable
8. George Miller Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Edgar Wright Shaun of the Dead
10. Woody Allen Midnight in Paris
11. Kinji Fukasaku Battle Royale
12. Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado Big Bad Wolves
13. Jeff Tremaine Jackass: The Movie
14. Richard Linklater School of Rock
15. Mel Gibson The Passion of the Christ
16. Rob Zombie The Devils Rejects
17. Prachya Pinkaew Chocolate
18. Bennett Miller Moneyball
19. Eli Roth Cabin Fever
20. Steven Spielberg West Side Story

Author: Gavin Porter