Quentin Tarantino Receives Criticism for Harshly Criticizing Paul Dano's Performance in 'There Will Be Blood' as 'Weak Sauce': 'Quite Offensive'

Quentin Tarantino has drawn criticism from fans after publicly labeling Paul Danos performance in There Will Be Blood as weak sauce. The Kill Bill director shared his candid thoughts on Danos role in the 2007 thriller, which earned the actor a BAFTA nomination, during a recent episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.

While listing his top 20 films of the 21st century, Tarantino placed Paul Thomas Andersons There Will Be Blood at number five. Despite the high ranking, he expressed dissatisfaction with Danos performance. There Will Be Blood could easily be number one or two if not for a major flaw and that flaw is Paul Dano, Tarantino said. Its meant to be a two-person story, but its clear it isnt. Dano is weak sauce. He is the weak link. Austin Butler would have been perfect. Hes just so uninteresting. The weakest actor in SAG.

His remarks quickly circulated online, prompting backlash from film enthusiasts. Film critic John Rocha commented on X, Someday, film fans need to stop idolizing this talkative video store clerk and assuming every opinion he gives on movies or acting is gospel. I love Tarantinos films, but hes wrong about Dano here.

Other users shared similar sentiments. One wrote, No director should ever disparage an actor like this. Its quite vile. Another added, Tarantinos critique of Paul Dano is wrong on so many levels. Dano held his own against a legend like Daniel Day-Lewis and created a complex, memorable character. Its truly one of the great performances. A fourth fan commented, Thats a huge lie. Paul Dano owned that role and went toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis.

Many online discussions focused on the possible reasons behind Tarantinos criticism. Despite the controversy, Tarantino praised the 2001 war film Black Hawk Down, calling it a masterwork.

Source: TheWrap

Author: Sophia Brooks