Matthew Lillard and Paul Dano have shared their reactions to Quentin Tarantino's public dismissal of their acting skills from last fall. Lillard described the widespread support he received as 'beautiful' and akin to 'living through my own wake.' Dano expressed gratitude that others defended him without his needing to speak out.
Quentin Tarantino sparked controversy in a fall 2025 interview on 'The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast' when he criticized several actors, including calling Paul Dano the 'weakest fucking actor in SAG' for his role in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. Tarantino described Dano's performance opposite Daniel Day-Lewis as 'weak sauce' and a mismatch that lowered the film's ranking in his personal list of 21st-century movies. He also stated he did not care for the acting of Matthew Lillard or Owen Wilson.
The comments went viral, prompting an outpouring of support from fans and industry figures. Lillard, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, called the tributes 'beautiful' and compared them to 'living through your own wake.' He added, 'All those R.I.P. emails or tweets and Instagram posts and TikToks... I can’t imagine a more lovely reaction to what happened.' Lillard shared the messages with his wife to affirm his worth, noting, 'Nobody has to like me... but to then have that kind of reaction was beautiful.'
At GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio, in December 2025, Lillard acknowledged the sting: 'It hurts your feelings. It fucking sucks. And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise.' Supporters included director Mike Flanagan, who called Lillard 'the goddamn greatest,' and James Gunn, who named him 'one of my favorite guys (and actors).' George Clooney, accepting an AARP award, said he 'would be honored to work with' the dissed actors.
Dano addressed the backlash at the Sundance Film Festival ahead of a 20th-anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine. Co-star Toni Collette dismissed Tarantino: 'Fuck that guy! He must’ve been high… it was just confusing. Who does that?' Dano told Variety, 'That was really nice... I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.' Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris defended him, with Dayton calling Tarantino's remarks an 'embarrassment' and Faris highlighting the immediate show of love for Dano.
The incident underscores personal tastes in Hollywood critiques, with the actors focusing on the positive fan response rather than engaging directly with Tarantino.
