"He's a weak sister": Quentin Tarantino intensely criticizes Paul Dano for his previous performance

Quentin Tarantino ignited a fresh debate with a direct shot at Paul Dano while unveiling his 21st-century film rankings. On The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, he ranked There Will Be Blood fifth, then said Paul Dano was the film’s “giant flaw,” calling the performance “weak sauce” and “He’s a weak sister.” He added that the role opposite Daniel Day-Lewis needed equal voltage and even floated Austin Butler as a hypothetical fix.

The exchange sat inside a two-part countdown that also placed Black Hawk Down at No. 1 and Toy Story 3 at No. 2, and it triggered swift pushback from listeners and film media. The podcast setting matters here because host Bret Easton Ellis challenged Tarantino on the air and pressed him on whether the performance actually “broke” the two-hander design. Tarantino doubled down, which put the spotlight back on what Dano did in Paul Thomas Anderson’s classic and why.

What Quentin Tarantino actually said about Paul Dano and where he said it?

As per The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast post dated December 2, 2025, Quentin Tarantino stated,

“There Will Be Blood’ would stand a good chance at being #1 or #2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it....and the flaw is Paul Dano”

He continued,

“Obviously it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister.”

Tarantino also remarked,

“He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f—king actor in SAG,”

The Once upon a time in hollywood director also suggested,

"Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role.”

Podacast host Ellis pushed back on air, arguing that Day-Lewis’s magnitude makes a true two-hander difficult, prompting Tarantino to reiterate his view. Ellis also asked if Tarantino liked Dano in any project. As per the same episode, Tarantino replied,

“I don’t care for him,”

adding that he also does not care for Owen Wilson or Matthew Lillard.

Who Paul Dano is and the role Quentin Tarantino targeted?

Paul Dano is an American actor known for Little Miss Sunshine, Prisoners, Love & Mercy, The Batman, and The Fabelmans, as well as co-writing and directing Wildlife. In There Will Be Blood, Dano plays both Paul and Eli Sunday. He was originally cast only as Paul but took over Eli two weeks into filming after Kel O’Neill exited, leaving Dano minimal prep time to face Day-Lewis’s towering turn. Dano’s performance earned a BAFTA supporting actor nomination and is widely cited as a key foil to Day-Lewis’s Daniel Plainview.

Tarantino’s comments landed during a two-episode countdown on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast: S9E47, posted November 25, 2025, and S9E48, posted December 2, 2025. The latter includes the There Will Be Blood remarks while the former kicked off entries 20 through 11.

Quentin Tarantino’s two-hander claim, the case for and against, and their history

Quentin Tarantino’s craft argument is clear. He believes There Will Be Blood should play as a true two-hander and that Dano does not meet Day-Lewis’s force, which, in his view, undercuts the duel that the movie sets up. Ellis countered on the podcast that Day-Lewis’s scale can make a balanced two-hander structurally elusive, which reframes the performance dynamic rather than labeling it a failure.

Outside the room, coverage noted how Tarantino’s stance clashed with the film’s long-standing consensus, which praises Dano’s work and recognizes his nomination run. The reaction also flagged Tarantino’s Butler suggestion, given Butler was a teenager when the film released.

As for history, Paul Dano has never worked under Quentin Tarantino’s direction and there is no prior on-record collaboration between them. On the podcast, when asked whether he had enjoyed Dano in any role, Tarantino said he did not. That answer, combined with Dano’s BAFTA-recognized performance and later acclaimed turns in films like Prisoners, Love & Mercy, The Batman, and The Fabelmans, explains why the “weak sister” line drew heightened scrutiny rather than closing the debate.

Stay tuned for more udpates.