An actor who Quentin Tarantino called the "weakest f**king actor" in Hollywood has spoken out about the claims.
In December 2025, the 62-year-old director appeared on an episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast where he criticized Paul Dano's performance in There Will Be Blood.
He described the 41-year-old actor as a "flaw" in the 2007 Oscar-winning movie, adding: "[He is] just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy."
When the host suggested that Dano's performance may have been "overshadowed" by that of Daniel Day-Lewis, Tarantino responded: "So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?"
He added: "I'm not saying he's giving a terrible performance. 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."
Several other actors spoke out in Dano's defense after the brutal comments surfaced, but the actor himself has not responded until now.
Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday, Dano told Variety: "I was incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn't have to."
His Little Miss Sunshine co-star Toni Collette, who was by his side at the festival, shared her thoughts, adding: "F**k that guy! He must've been high. It was just confusing. Who does that?"
Of Collette coming to his defense, Dano then added: "That was really nice."
Jonathan Dayton also labeled Tarantino's comments - which also included actors Matthew Lillard and Owen Wilson – as an "embarrassment", adding: "I can only think that his rawness of his performance made Tarantino uncomfortable."
Little Miss Sunshine's co-director Valerie Faris also said: "You know, what was interesting was the people coming out to defend Paul. There was immediately… he is loved by so many. He is so smart."
Dano has had a lengthy career in Hollywood, appearing in The Batman, Love & Mercy, The Fabelmans and more. and has received a Golden Globe nomination as well as two Emmy nominations.
Tarantino's comments were slammed by a Daniel Day-Lewis fan account which wrote: "Paul Dano is one of the best and most talented actors of his generation," to which a representative for the actor - who'd recommended Dano for the role in the first place - confirmed to the Guardian that he "endorsed the sentiment."
Director Matt Reeves, who worked with Dano on The Batman, added on X in December when the comments were first made: "Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person."