Simu Liu, The Batman Writer Defend Paul Dano After Quentin Tarantino Attack

Paul Dano’s fellow actors are rushing to defend him after Quentin Tarantino called him the “weakest f--king actor in SAG.”

via: Variety

As cinephiles flocked to social media to champion Dano’s performances, Marvel’s “Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu joined the chorus of support by posting on X: “[I don’t know] man I think Paul Dano is an incredible actor.”

Mattson Tomlin, the screenwriter who is working with director Matt Reeves on “The Batman Part II,” also defended Dano on X by writing: “I am really pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano this week. Not only is he a terrific actor, but he’s an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy. Check out ‘Wildlife’ if you haven’t seen it.”

Dano starred as the Riddler in Reeves’ “The Batman,” so he shares a connection with sequel co-writer Tomlin. It’s not yet confirmed whether or not Dano and the Riddler will be back for the follow-up, which recently announced that Scarlett Johansson is in early talks for a major role opposite Robert Pattinson as Batman.

Tarantino slammed Dano while talking about “There Will Be Blood,” which the director chose as the fifth best movie of the 21st century. Tarantino claimed the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed movie could have been his first or second pick “if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it… and the flaw is Paul Dano.”

“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander. But it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander,” Tarantino said. “[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. [Daniel] is eating him [alive]. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. Daniel Day-Lewis shows that he doesn’t need a strong foil. The movie needs it. He doesn’t need anything. It’s supposed to be a two-hander and it’s not! … you put him with the the weakest fucking actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?”

“I am not saying he is giving a terrible performance, I am saying he’s giving a non-entity performance… I don’t care for him,” Tarantino concluded.

TMZ caught up with Dillon Freasier, who was a child actor when he played H.W. Plainview (the son of Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview) in “There Will Be Blood.” Freasier threw his support behind Dano and called the movie “perfect,” adding: “It’s a work of art. And it’s that way because everyone was perfectly cast.”