Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | January 29, 2026
Back in December, Quentin Tarantino felt it was a good time to take a giant dump on Paul Dano. What started as a critique of Dano’s performance in There Will Be Blood quickly spiraled into a full-out assault that ended with Tarantino calling him “the weakest f***ing actor in SAG.” The whole thing was as harsh as it was random. Case in point: Poor Matthew Lillard caught a stray.
Thanks to Dano’s reputation as a talented actor and all-around good guy, Hollywood tripped over itself to rush to his defense. There was an immediate outpouring of love from actors and directors, and Tarantino has basically been radio silent ever since, which is no small feat. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the man loves two things and two things only: Feet and the sound of his own voice.
That brings us to this week where Dano attended a 20th anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine— wait hold up. Did that say 20th? Sonofa. While walking the red carpet with his co-stars, he was inevitably asked about the Tarantino debacle. Once again, Hollywood came to Dano’s aid in the form of a fired-up Toni Collete.
“Are we really going there? F*** that guy!” she told Variety. “He must’ve been high… it was just confusing. Who does that?”
However, Dano did take a moment to address the issue, but he kept his comments focused on the outpouring of love.
“That was really nice,” he said. “I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”
As of this writing, Tarantino has yet to issue an apology, so one can only assume he’s still being pepper-sprayed at a Lady Foot Locker. It’s been a month, and he keeps trying to pretend he works there. At least wear the uniform, man!
