Paul Dano Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Riddle me this: which A-list director thinks Paul Dano is "incredible?" Not Quentin Tarantino. But there are assuredly quite a few. One of them going public with his praise is Matt Reeves, who directed Dano in the 2022 hit The Batman. "Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person," Reeves wrote on X Thursday, a few days after a viral podcast appearance in which Tarantino said that Dano's performance in There Will Be Blood lowered his opinion of the movie, which starred Daniel Day-Lewis in an Oscar-winning performance. Related Stories Movies Quentin Tarantino Says Paul Dano Is the "Weakest Male Actor in SAG" While Slamming His 'There Will Be Blood' Performance Movies Quentin Tarantino Reveals Why He Revived Lost Chapter From 'Kill Bill' for Fortnite Collaboration During an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino ranked his best movies of the 21st century, and named the 2007 Paul Thomas Anderson feature his No. 5 of movie. He said 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." "And the flaw is Paul Dano," Tarantino said. "Obviously, it's supposed to be a two-hander, and it's also so drastically obvious that it's not a two-hander. ... He is weak sauce, man. He's a weak sister." Dano, who played Edward Nasthon/The Riddler in Reeves' The Batman, has turned in performances for a number of top directors, including Steven Speilberg and Denis Villeneuve. "I'm not saying he's giving a terrible performance," Tarantino added of Dano's work in There Will Be Blood. "I'm saying he's giving a non-entity [performance]. I don't care for him. I don't care for Owen Wilson, I don't care for Matthew Lillard." Reeves is gearing up to shoot The Batman Part II, with Scarlett Johansson joining the cast in an undisclosed role. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Vin Diesel Red Sea: Michael Caine, Adrien Brody, Vin Diesel, Jessica Alba and Uma Thurman Spotted in Saudi Arabia as Fest Kicks Off With 'Giant' Seann William Scott I Wrote 'Dude, Where's My Car' 25 Years Ago. It Would Never Be Made Today. Heat Vision 'Men in Black': New Film in the Works at Sony Skeet Ulrich 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Review: Josh Hutcherson and Homicidal Animatronic Creatures Return for a Sequel That Should Be Skipped Slovenia 'Little Trouble Girls' Review: Slovenia's Oscar Submission Puts a Dreamy, Tantalizing Spin on Teenage Hormones and Musical Harmonies Heat Vision Krsy Fox, Adrienne Barbeau, Aaron Abrams to Star in Indie Horror Thriller 'Hannah Goes to Hell' (Exclusive) Vin Diesel Red Sea: Michael Caine, Adrien Brody, Vin Diesel, Jessica Alba and Uma Thurman Spotted in Saudi Arabia as Fest Kicks Off With 'Giant' Seann William Scott I Wrote 'Dude, Where's My Car' 25 Years Ago. It Would Never Be Made Today. Heat Vision 'Men in Black': New Film in the Works at Sony Skeet Ulrich 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Review: Josh Hutcherson and Homicidal Animatronic Creatures Return for a Sequel That Should Be Skipped Slovenia 'Little Trouble Girls' Review: Slovenia's Oscar Submission Puts a Dreamy, Tantalizing Spin on Teenage Hormones and Musical Harmonies Heat Vision Krsy Fox, Adrienne Barbeau, Aaron Abrams to Star in Indie Horror Thriller 'Hannah Goes to Hell' (Exclusive)
The Hollywood Reporter
Matt Reeves Defends Paul Dano After Quentin Tarantino Calls Him "Weak Sauce"
December 5, 2025
15 days ago
17 celebrities mentioned