George Clooney accepts the Best Actor award for ‘Jay Kelly’, at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 10, 2026 (REUTERS)
While the Wolfs actor did not name Tarantino, he made the remark in reference to the filmmaker’s controversial statements during an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast last December.
While ranking his favourite films of the 21st Century, the 62-year-old placed Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 thriller starring Daniel Day-Lewis at No. 5 but called it “flawed” due to Dano’s performance as the twin preachers Eli and Paul Sunday.
Tarantino went on to say, “[It] would stand a good chance at being No. 1 or 2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano,” adding, “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’s a weak sister.”
The Pulp Fiction director’s harsh criticism did not stop there as he continued to describe the 41-year-old actor as “such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy” and “the weakest f**king actor” in the Screen Actors Guild. He further said that he never enjoyed his acting skills and that he does not “care for him.”
Tarantino went on to say, “I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.” His remarks were deemed insensitive by many, including A-listers like Reese Witherspoon, Ben Stiller, and Matt Reeves. Clooney is the most recent Hollywood star to condemn the Django Unchained director.
“I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel to actors,” Clooney said on Saturday. “By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honoured to work with those actors. Honoured,” he continued, before adding, “We are living in a time of cruelty. We don’t need to be adding to it.”
