Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email
Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter
Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter
Quentin Tarantino has raised eyebrows with the claim that one performance constituted a “giant flaw” in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood.
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood focuses on depraved oil baron Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his fraught relationship with preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). The film is widely cited among the best of the century.
During an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino, 62, offered unsparing criticism of Dano’s performance.
The Reservoir Dogs filmmaker said that the movie would “stand a good chance at being [his] number one or number two” film of the 21st century, “if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it”.
“The flaw is Paul Dano,” he continued. “Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister.”
He suggested that he would have preferred for Elvis star Austin Butler (just 16 at the time of There Will Be Blood) to take the role instead.
“[Dano] is just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” he continued. “The weakest f***ing actor in SAG. [The Screen Actors Guild].”
open image in gallery
Give me the blood, Eli: Day-Lewis and Dano in ‘There Will Be Blood’ (Miramax)
Dano is an American actor who has drawn consistent acclaim throughout his career for performances in films such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Meek’s Cutoff (2010) and The Fabelmans (2022).
Fans have stepped in to defend him from Tarantino’s criticisms, with many praising his performance inThere Will Be Blood – a dual role in which he also played Eli’s twin brother, Paul – as a standout.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
“Tarantino’s statement on Paul Dano is wrong on so many levels,” one person wrote on X/Twitter. “He holds himself strong opposite a legend like DDL (dare I say better that Leo [DiCaprio] in Gangs of New York even) he crafts rich character but also two different characters. It’s one of the great performances. It really is.”
open image in gallery
Tarantino pictured in September 2025 (Getty Images)
“Quentin Tarantino could not be more wrong about Paul Dano if he tried,” wrote another. “I’m not here to ‘cancel’ Tarantino just because I think his opinion is incredibly stupid. Like all of us, QT is entitled to his opinion. But his movie takes have been horrible lately. Like embarrassingly bad.”
Someone else commented: “Paul was literally 22 YEARS OLD playing identical twins and he somehow manages to act on the same playing field as DANIEL DAY-LEWIS. he delivers one of the best performances i’ve ever seen. what a joke lol.”
There Will Be Blood is currently available to stream in the UK on Paramount+.
