Quentin Tarantino‘s comments about certain actors are sparking a community of Hollywood voices to defend them. Among those voices is George Clooney, publicly defending Paul Dano and others whom Tarantino recently bashed during an interview.
Learn about the whole situation below.
Quentin Tarantino’s Comments
The whole debacle started in December 2025. Tarantino appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast to reveal his picks for the top movies of the 21st century so far.
During the podcast, Tarantino made some harsh comments against actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard. The main target was on Dano, mentioning that his role in There Will Be Blood prevented the film from achieving a higher ranking.
“There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being no. 1 or no. 2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano,” Tarantino commented on the podcast.
He continued the barrage by stating, “[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f–cking actor in SAG.”
Tarantino then switched his focus to Wilson and Lillard. He bashed Wilson’s performance in the 2011 film Midnight in Paris, and claimed both Wilson and Lillard were actors that he does not “care for.”
George Clooney’s Response
The comments caused considerable grumblings in Hollywood, with many actors coming out to support Dano, Wilson, and Lillard. One of those actors was George Clooney.
The actor made his support public during the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards on January 10th when he accepted Best Actor for Jay Kelly.
During his acceptance speech, Clooney first talked about Jay Kelly, saying, “[it] is a film about and made by people who love actors. It’s an important part of this…you know, people throughout this room and people I’ve known most of my life, actually, and most of them are actors, and I have a great affinity. I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel to actors.”
Then Clooney turned his attention to his fellow actors. “By the way, Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard? I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored!”
He finishes his speech with the perfect theme, calling out solidarity for all actors. “We’re living in a time of cruelty, and we don’t need to be adding to it.”
Other Actors Showing Support
Quentin may have made his statement about Dano, Wilson, and Lillard, but others are pushing back.
Including George Clooney, public support comes from Reese Witherspoon, Ben Stiller, Matt Reeves, Simu Liu, Josh Gad, and Alec Baldwin.
Reese Witherspoon wrote on Threads on December 6th that, “Paul Dano is an incredibly gifted, versatile actor. More importantly, he is a gentleman.”
Ben Stiller went to X to share his opinions on December 4th, posting, “Paul Dano is f-ing brilliant.”
Finally, Alec Baldwin decided to do a video in support, going on Instagram and posting a clip that said, “I just want to say I love Paul Dano. And if you don’t love Paul Dano, shh.”
This show of support reflects the importance of actors sticking together in a world where they constantly receive pressure. The world can be a negative place, and it doesn’t need more comments to add to the negativity.