Quentin Tarantino Slams Paul Dano’s ‘There Will Be Blood’ Performance as ‘Weak Sauce’

Overview

• Tarantino placed There Will Be Blood at No. 5 on his century list and said it would rank higher if not for what he called a “big giant flaw” in Paul Dano’s work.
• He labeled Dano “weak sauce” and “the weakest male actor in SAG” during the discussion, arguing the role opposite Daniel Day‑Lewis failed to play as a two‑hander.
• Tarantino suggested Austin Butler “would have been wonderful” in the part, a hypothetical Entertainment Weekly noted came years before Butler’s breakout, as he was 16 in 2007.
• After the episode, he clarified he was not calling the performance terrible but a “non‑entity,” even as Ellis pushed back on the assessment during their exchange.
• Coverage highlighted Dano’s BAFTA‑nominated turn in the film and his work with top directors, and TheWrap reported swift fan criticism of Tarantino’s remarks; no response from Dano has been reported.