Quentin Tarantino revealed his unlikely beef with actor Paul Dano in a December 2025 interview.
The filmmaker raised eyebrows throughout an look on “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” whereas discussing his prime 20 motion pictures of the twenty first century. Throughout their chat, Dano’s efficiency within the 2007 film There Will Be Blood was talked about.
Tarantino named There Will Be Blood as his fifth favourite film since 2000 — with a caveat. The famed director defined he would have ranked the movie a lot greater with out Dano’s twin performances as brothers Paul and Eli Sunday. The filmmaker argued that Dano’s two performances paled compared to Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-winning portrayal as conniving oilman Daniel Plainview.
“Clearly, it’s presupposed to be a two-hander, and it’s additionally so drastically apparent that it’s not a two-hander,” Tarantino argued. “[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister.”
Preserve scrolling for extra info on Tarantino’s criticism of Dano and what precisely “weak sauce” means.
What Did Quentin Tarantino Say About Paul Dano?
Quentin Tarantino obtained into an prolonged dialogue with “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” host Bret Easton Ellis — creator of American Psycho — about director Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood.
The Outdated West drama revolves round oil spectator Daniel Plainview’s (Day-Lewis) showdown with an area preacher, Eli Sunday (Dano), about drilling within the city of Little Boston, after Plainview is tipped off about an oil deposit by Eli’s twin brother Paul (additionally Dano).
Tarantino named There Will Be Blood as his fifth favourite film since 2000, however argued {that a} “massive large flaw” saved it from rating greater — Dano’s twin performances as Eli and Paul Sunday. His largest grievance was that Dano’s “weak sauce” portrayal as Eli Sunday was ineffective as a nemesis for Day-Lewis’ tour de drive depiction of Daniel Plainview. (Day-Lewis gained the Finest Actor Awards on the Oscars and the BAFTAs for his work in There Will Be Blood in 2008.)
The filmmaker complained that Pano delivered an “uninteresting” efficiency general in There Will Be Blood, earlier than suggesting that “Austin Butler would have been fantastic in that function.” (Butler was solely 16 years previous on the time of There Will Be Blood’s launch and was, at the moment, a solid member on Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified College Survival Information. Dano was 23 when he filmed the 2007 film.)
“[Dano is] simply such a weak, weak, uninteresting man. . . Daniel Day-Lewis exhibits that he doesn’t want [a powerful onscreen foe]. He doesn’t want something,” Tarantino argued. “The film would’ve had extra — there would’ve been extra stringiness to the meat. And once more, it’s presupposed to be a two-hander, and it’s not.”
Ellis countered that it will have been tough for any actor to go toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, given the Oscar winner’s powerhouse efficiency.
“So you place him with the weakest male actor in SAG? The limpest d*** on the planet?” Tarantino shot again.
Regardless of Ellis counterarguments in Dano’s protection, the As soon as Upon in Hollywood director stood his floor.
“I’m not saying he’s giving a horrible efficiency,” Tarantino clarified. “I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity [performance]. I don’t look after him. I don’t look after Owen Wilson. I don’t look after Matthew Lillard.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Dano’s representatives for remark.
Dano acquired crucial approval for his two performances in There Will Be Blood on the time of the movie’s launch in 2007. He acquired a Finest Supporting Actor nomination on the BAFTAs in 2008 and was singled out by the celebrated Village Voice Movie Ballot Awards that very same 12 months.
What Is ‘Weak Sauce’?
In keeping with the Oxford English Dictionary, the time period “weak sauce” signifies somebody or one thing that lacks “energy, substance, or credibility.” It might probably additionally imply a “nugatory, silly, or pathetic individual or factor.”
Merriam-Webster affords an identical evaluation of the time period, describing “weak sauce” as somebody or one thing “inferior, ineffective, or unimpressive.”
A quirkier definition comes from the City Dictionary, which suggests “calling one ‘weak sauce’ compares stated particular person to the ‘delicate’ sauce discovered at Taco Bell.”
“[Weak Sauce is] weak, insignificant [or] trying to be like the opposite sizzling sauces, however not residing as much as expectations,” City Dictionary added.
How Did Followers React to Quentin Tarantino Shading Paul Dano?
Many listeners of “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” had been baffled by Tarantino’s pointed takedown of Dano’s efficiency in There Will Be Blood.
“Tarantino’s assertion on Paul Dano is mistaken on so many ranges,” an X consumer fired again. “He holds himself robust reverse a legend like DDL (dare I say higher that Leo [DiCaprio] in Gangs of New York even) he crafts wealthy character but in addition two totally different characters. It’s one of many nice performances. It truly is.”
“It’s been so good to see the tidal wave of help for Paul Dano after this braindead take from Tarantino,” one other X consumer contended. “Massively disrespectful and simply plain mistaken!”
One other Dano defender even steered that the Batman actor “has a greater filmography than Tarantino.”
“Tarantino is one among my favourite administrators ❤️ however when he expresses these disagreeable and exaggerated opinions it’s insufferable,” a Tarantino fan admitted. “Paul Dano was implausible on this function, by the best way.”
Nevertheless, not everybody disagreed with Tarantino’s criticisms of There Will Be Blood.
“I agree with Tarantino, Paul Dano in TWBB by no means sat proper with me,” an X consumer defined. “Particularly throughout Daniel Day Lewis, he was meant to be the counterforce to his character and was simply weak and childish.”
Others felt unhealthy that Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard had been name-checked — seemingly out of nowhere — by Tarantino as a few of his least-favorite actors.
“I didn’t understand Tarantino additionally stated he thought Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard had been s*** actors, rattling,” one fan joked.
One other X consumer identified, “Lmao persons are forgetting that he not solely talked unhealthy about Paul Dano, however ALSO apropos of nothing additionally talked shit about Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard. Tarantino is such a baseless asshole.”
