What is Paul Dano doing now? Fans defend actor following Quentin Tarantino's “weak sauce” comments

Veteran filmmaker Quentin Tarantino recently criticized actor Paul Dano’s performance in the 2007 Oscar-winning epic period drama film There Will Be Blood, despite ranking it five in his list of the top 20 movies of the century.

During his appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino stated that was reason he didn’t keep the film at the top was Paul Dano.

“There Will Be Blood’ would stand a good chance at being #1 or #2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … And the flaw is Paul Dano. Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander,” the ‘Pulp Fiction’ star noted.

He continued:

“Dano is weak sauce, man. He’s the weak sister. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f**king actor in SAG.”

Notably, Paul Dano played the role of twins, Paul and Eli Sunday, in the Paul Thomas Anderson magnum opus, which was loosely based on the 1927 Upton Sinclair novel, Oil!. It starred Daniel Day-Lewis as the villainous oilman, Daniel Plainview.

Dano, 41, has been busy with multiple ventures recently. For instance, he famously appeared in the lead role of Vadim Baranov in the 2025 political thriller dark comedy film The Wizard of the Kremlin. Paul is also on his way to write, direct, and produce a brand-new untitled comedy for Universal Pictures, according to an exclusive report by Deadline, published in June.

In the wake of Quentin Tarantino’s “weak sauce” comment, netizens are now defending Paul Dano.

“Tarantino's statement on Paul Dano is wrong on so many levels. He holds himself strong opposite a legend like DDL (dare I say better than Leo 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,” a fan wrote on X.

Another fan wrote, “Every Quentin Tarantino film in which he narcissistically and pathetically casts himself would be immeasurably improved by casting Paul Dano in his place.”

“Taking shots at Paul Dano when he’s one of the most talented actors is just crazy to me,” a user wrote.

Others continued to chime in with comments in support of Dano.

“Quentin Tarantino could not be more wrong about Paul Dano if he tried. 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,” another user wrote.

“Tarantino is one of my favorite directors, but when he expresses these unpleasant and exaggerated opinions, it's unbearable. Paul Dano was fantastic in this role, by the way,” a netizen wrote.

Paul, who was nominated for a BAFTA for There Will Be Blood, hasn’t responded to Quentin Tarantino, as of writing.

It is noteworthy that Dano was supposed to play a single-scene role of Paul Sunday, the business-minded brother of Eli Sunday. However, later he was cast in the role of both, which became a turning point in his career.

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Here’s what Paul Dano has been up to these days

Paul Dano’s recent acting venture, The Wizard of the Kremlin, is written and directed by Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Carrere. It is based on the 2022 novel of the same title by Giuliano da Empoli. The movie also stars Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge, and Jeffrey Wright.

The plot revolves around Dano’s character and is set during the final years of the Soviet Union and the chaotic start to the Russian Federation under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, played by Jude Law. It premiered at this year’s Venice International Film Festival in August and was nominated for the Golden Lion.

Meanwhile, sources close to Paul Dano told Deadline earlier this year that he is writing a “high-concept, original comedy” which will be executive produced by his former Swiss Army Man collaborators, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang under their Playgrounds banner.

Over the years, the two-time Primetime Emmy nominee has been busy with direction and acting projects. For instance, in 2018, he co-wrote his directorial debut, Wildlife, with his life partner, Zoe Kazan, who is an actress and writer.

Kazan and Dano have been together since 2007, after meeting on the sets of the play Things We Want. They have two children, a daughter named Alma Bay, 7, and a son born in October 2022. They currently live in Brooklyn, NYC, and have teamed up for a few projects, including the 2012 film Ruby Parks.

Wildlife starred Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal in pivotal roles and made a stir during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

Paul Dano, who made his debut in the 2001 drama L.I.E., rose to fame in his second movie, Little Miss Sunshine. In the last decade, he has appeared in Love & Mercy in the Golden Globe-nominated role of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson, Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora, which earned him an Emmy nomination, a couple of episodes of The Sopranos, as The Riddler on Warner Bros’ The Batman, and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans opposite Michelle Williams.

Paul starred alongside America Ferrera and Seth Rogen in Craig Gillespie’s comedy, Dumb Money, in the role of YouTuber Keith Gill. His recurring role on Amazon’s Mr and Mrs Smith and cameo on Apple TV+’s The Studio have also been widely recognized.

Dano also appeared on Broadway, such as in the stage production of True West, and penned a comic book titled The Riddler: Year One.