In a Hollywood firestorm, Matt Reeves defends Paul Dano against Quentin Tarantino’s “weakest actor” jab. There Will Be Blood, The Batman Riddler, Paul Dano, Matt Reeves, and Quentin Tarantino Paul Dano, the weakest actor in the SAG, and Matt Reeves Paul Dano is great.
After Quentin Tarantino harshly criticized Paul Dano’s performance in There Will Be Blood, Matt Reeves, the director of The Batman, publicly defended Dano as a “incredible actor and incredible person.” Tarantino said on a podcast that Dano was the “weakest f***ing actor in SAG” and that his role as Eli Sunday ruined the movie’s intended two-hander dynamic with Daniel Day-Lewis’s Oscar-winning performance. Reeves’ supportive X post on December 4 added to the growing support for Dano in the industry. Dano is known for his creepy Riddler in the 2022 Batman reboot.
Quentin Tarantino put Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 epic in his top 21st-century films, but he called Dano its “giant flaw,” saying he was “weak sauce” and a “weak sister” who couldn’t match Day-Lewis’s intensity. The director of Pulp Fiction said that the movie, which got eight Oscar nominations, wasn’t the balanced duel it was supposed to be, and he even joked about recasting it with a younger actor. Fans and critics quickly spoke out online, pointing out Dano’s praised performances in movies by Spielberg and Villeneuve.
Reeves praised Dano, who played Edward Nashton/The Riddler, even though there was a lot of backlash. Other people, like screenwriter Mattson Tomlin, called Dano a “terrific actor” who could show empathy and control. The defense points out how versatile Dano is, from Little Miss Sunshine to The Fabelmans, making him a Hollywood mainstay even though Tarantino didn’t like him. This fight brings up ongoing discussions about acting reviews in a time when director comments go viral.
