All the celebrities that have spoken out in support of star who Quentin Tarantino called ‘weakest f****** actor’ in Hollywood

Scores of actors have come out in the defense of There Will Be Blood star Paul Dano, after one of Hollywood's greatest directors called him the 'weakest f**king actor'.

Quentin Tarantino may have put his foot in his mouth when he made the comment on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast, where he also added Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard to the actors he has issues with. But the force of his disrespect toward Dano caused an immediate backlash.

Dano, 41, has starred in a number of iconic roles in critically acclaimed films, including Little Miss Sunshine (2006), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Swiss Army Man (2016), and The Batman (2022).

But his role as Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 There Will Be Blood seems to have disappointed cult film director Tarantino, 62, who described him as 'weak sauce' during the podcast which has sparked blowback from across the industry.

Paul Dano starred alongside acting legend Daniel Day-Lewis (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

"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," Tarantino told Bret Easton Ellis.

“[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f**king actor in SAG,” was the Kill Bill director's damning verdict.

But since his comments have emerged, dozens of well-known names and former co-stars have rallied to Dano's defense.

Comedy heavyweight Ben Stiller responded on X, saying simply 'Paul Dano is f-ing brilliant', while Alec Baldwin took to Instagram to say 'I love Paul Dano,' before telling critics 'if you don't love Paul Dano...' before putting his finger to his lips.

In the comments below, Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett joined in the chorus of support, chiming in 'Me too!!!!!' followed by a clapping emoji and a heart.

Other actors familiar with Dano's work have joined the voices defending him, with Frozen's Josh Gad chiming in: "Not sure who needs to hear this, but Paul Dano is one of the best actors of our time. Full stop.”

Meanwhile, many of Dano's fellow actors on There Will Be Blood rushed to push back on Tarantino's incendiary comments.

Dillon Freasier, whose only acting gig was as the highly-praised role of Daniel Day-Lewis' eight-year-old son in the film, said: “The film is perfect. It’s a work of art. And it’s that way because everyone was perfectly cast.”

Meanwhile Colleen Foy, who debuted in the film as his on-screen sister, went a step further and accused the director of changing his mind on Dano, who was just 23 at the time.

“His incredible performance speaks for itself," she said. "I sat behind Quentin Tarantino at the Cast & Crew screening and he was legit vibing with Paul’s performance.

"His recent comments are incongruent with his reaction that night.”

Mattson Tomlin, who is co-writing a sequel to The Batman, greeted the support, saying: "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."

While The Batman director Matt Reeves simply said: "Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person."

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