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George Clooney Defends Dano, Wilson and Lillard in Awards Speech, Calling Tarantino’s Remarks Cruel

The speech answered Tarantino’s December podcast takedown, which drew industry pushback.

Overview

  • Accepting Best Actor at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards for Jay Kelly, Clooney said he would be "honored" to work with Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard.
  • Clooney framed his comments as a stand against unkindness, saying, "We are living in a time of cruelty. We don’t need to be adding to it."
  • Tarantino’s December remarks on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast included calling Dano "weak sauce" and "the weakest f*cking actor in SAG" and saying he "can’t stand" Wilson and does not "care for" Lillard.
  • Support for Dano has come from figures such as Ben Stiller, Simu Liu, Matt Reeves, Josh Gad and Alec Baldwin, while a Daniel Day-Lewis Instagram defense was later identified as a fan account, with his representative endorsing the sentiment.
  • The exchange arrives against prior friction after Tarantino questioned Clooney’s status as a movie star in 2024, and Lillard has said the director’s remarks "hurt" during a GalaxyCon appearance.