Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino shared some pointed opinions about Paul Dano’s performance. During a recent episode of a podcast where he discussed Bret Easton Ellis’ top films of the century, he brought up Dano’s role in There Will Be Blood, which was a collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis.
While listing his favorite films, Tarantino positioned There Will Be Blood at No. 5 but added a note about it potentially being first if certain conditions had been different.
He mentioned that the film had a significant issue—specifically with Dano’s performance. According to Tarantino, Dano, who portrayed Eli Sunday opposite Day-Lewis’s character, didn’t meet expectations. He felt the film was designed as a battle between these two characters but saw Dano as the weak link in that dynamic.
Tarantino was quite direct in his criticism: “Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s very clear that it’s not a two-hander,” he stated. “He’s a weak sauce, come on. He’s a weak sister.”
The director even suggested that someone like Austin Butler might have performed the role of Eli Sunday better. Bret Easton Ellis acknowledged the film’s strength, primarily due to Day-Lewis’s captivating performance, which did not disappoint him.
Tarantino questioned the wisdom of putting Dano alongside stronger actors, implying that while he didn’t think Dano’s performance was terrible, it certainly lacked presence. “I’m not saying he’s having a terrible performance. I’m saying he’s having an incorporeal performance,” he explained.
He expressed his lack of interest in Dano, even mentioning a few other actors he didn’t care for, including Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard.
Despite Tarantino’s harsh words, Dano has earned some accolades, including a BAFTA nomination for There Will Be Blood and several Emmy and Golden Globe nods. He also won a Gotham Award for Love and Mercy and had a role in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave.
As for why he chose the films in his top list, Tarantino explained that memorable experiences trumped everything else. “I didn’t do any research, I just picked 20 movies directly from my head,” he said. “If you don’t remember them, there’s no point. They have to be memorable.”
- Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (No. 20)
- Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever (No. 19)
- Bennett Miller’s Moneyball (No. 18)
- Pracha Pingeoz’s Chocolate (No. 17)
- Rob Zombie’s Devil’s Rejects (No. 16)
- Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (No. 15)
- Richard Linklater’s School of Rock (No. 14)
- Jeff Tremaine’s Jackass: The Movie (No. 13)
- Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushad’s Big Bad Wolves (No. 12)
- Mr. Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale (No. 11)
- Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (No. 10)
- Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (No. 9)
- George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (No. 8)
- Tony Scott’s Can’t Stop (No. 7)
- David Fincher’s Zodiac (No. 6)
- Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (No. 5)
- Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk (No. 4)
- Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (No. 3)
- Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3 (No. 2)
- Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down (No. 1)
