The Hollywood community has rallied behind Paul Dano after the actor finally responded to the derogatory comments that director Quentin Tarantino made about him. The feud, which has been brewing since December 2025, finally came to a head at the Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday during a 20th-anniversary celebration for Little Miss Sunshine.
The feud began when Quentin, 62, appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast and branded Paul as the only "flaw" in the 2007 classic There Will Be Blood. The Pulp Fiction director did not hold back, saying that the 41-year-old actor was "weak" and "uninteresting" before declaring him the "weakest male actor in SAG". Quentin went on to explain that while he did not think the performance was "terrible," he thought it was a "non-entity" and also stated that he did not "care for" Owen Wilson or Matthew Lillard.
Speaking to the press at the Sundance Film Festival, Paul chose to take the high road about the unprovoked attack. "I was incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to," he said, noting that the outpouring of support from his peers was "really nice".
He was not alone in his thoughts on the issue. His co-star in Little Miss Sunshine, Toni Collette, was much more direct in her reaction to the director's outburst. "F--- that guy!" Toni, 53, was heard saying, implying that Quentin "must’ve been high" to make such "confusing" statements. Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris also chimed in, with Jonathan calling the comments an "embarrassment" and speculating that the "rawness" of the performance simply made Quentin uncomfortable.
The industry-wide defense of the trio has been considerable. Heavy hitters such as George Clooney and Ben Stiller have expressed their appreciation for Paul’s skill, while Daniel Day-Lewis has allegedly offered his support via representatives. Matthew, who was himself caught up in the fallout, has compared the experience of watching the internet rally around them to "living through your own wake".
With a body of work that includes critically acclaimed performances in The Batman, The Fabelmans and Prisoners, Paul’s status as one of his peers’ most talented actors would appear to be in no danger, despite Quentin’s complaints.
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