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Did Quentin Tarantino know that Paul Dano has this many shooters? While discussing his favorite films of the 21st century on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast on December 2, Tarantino called Dano the “weakest” actor in SAG and a “giant flaw” in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. In the same interview, Tarantino also noted that he doesn’t “care for” actors Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, but it was the criticism of Dano that made initial headlines and brought famous fans out in droves to make sure he was feeling the love. Most recently, representatives for Daniel Day-Lewis confirmed that he agrees with the sentiment of a Day-Lewis fan account that praised his There Will Be Blood co-star. Dano-ssance, anyone?
Belows, all the actors, filmmakers, and “cinetistes” who are on Team Dano.
Daniel Day-Lewis
A Daniel Day-Lewis fan account on Instagram accidentally got mistaken for the man himself with a December 7 post saying Paul Dano is “one of the best and most talented actors of his generation.” After screenshots of this defense went viral, representatives for Day-Lewis clarified to The Guardian that @danielbdaylewis is not the actor’s account — but Day-Lewis does endorse the sentiments of the post.
Colleen Foy
Dano’s “incredible” performance in There Will Be Blood “speaks for itself,” Foy, who played his sister in the 2007 film, wrote in a Threads post on December 4. She suggested that Tarantino wasn’t always a Dano hater. “I sat behind Quentin Tarantino at the Cast & Crew screening and he was legit vibing with Paul’s performance,” she recalled. “His recent comments are incongruent with his reaction that night.”
Reese Witherspoon
Witherspoon hasn’t personally shared the screen with Dano just yet, but she showed her support for her fellow alum of the Paul Thomas Anderson cinematic universe on Threads. “Paul Dano is an incredibly gifted, versatile actor. More importantly, he is a gentleman,” she wrote in a December 6 post.
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Zach Woods
It looks like Dano can already count on having a friend on the set of his upcoming film Bunker.
Elijah Wood
The Lord of the Rings star defends Dano the way he would defend a ring.
Maya Rudolph and Toni Collette
Both actresses, including his Little Miss Sunshine co-star Collette, had similar ways of showing support for the There Will Be Blood star: posting a still of Dano from one of his movies in an Instagram Story.
Josh Gad
The voice of Olaf had a pointed message for anyone who criticizes Dano’s acting ability. “Not sure who needs to hear this, but Paul Dano is one of the best actors of our time,” he wrote on Threads on December 4. “Full stop.”
John Cusack
Cusack succinctly shared his enjoyment of his Love & Mercy co-star, both in front of and behind the screen.
Alec Baldwin
A superhero was one of the first fighters on Team Dano.
Ben Stiller
Straight to the point from Stiller.
Matt Reeves
The Batman director did not leave any riddles to show his feelings on Dano.
Mattson Tomlin
Tomlin, who co-wrote The Batman Part II with Reeves, also shared praise for Dano as both an actor and a director.
Dillon Freasier
Freasier, who starred in There Will Be Blood as the young version of H.W. Plainview, told TMZ that Tarantino has the right to his opinion. Still, Frasier suggested that the film was “perfect” because “everyone was perfectly cast.”
@QTarantino_news
History will remember that a Tarantino fan page was the first to disagree with the director.
