George Clooney seems to have responded to Quentin Tarantino after the famed director criticized an actor as ‘the f***ing weakest’ in Hollywood.
Tarantino, known for classics like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names. However, he is also known for his candid opinions about performers he hasn’t collaborated with.
During an episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast in December, Tarantino expressed his clear disapproval of three actors specifically.
He targeted Matthew Lillard, known for Scooby-Doo and Scream, Paul Dano of The Batman, and Owen Wilson from Zoolander as actors he ‘didn’t care for’.
Despite his admiration for Dano’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood— which he listed as his fifth favorite of the 21st century— Tarantino criticized Dano as a ‘big giant flaw’ and labeled him ‘the weakest f****ing actor’ in Hollywood.
Discussing Dano’s role in the film directed by Paul Thomas-Anderson, Tarantino remarked, “Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister.”
Tarantino went on to describe Dano as ‘such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy’ and ‘the weakest f***ing actor in the Screen Actors Guild’, further stating he had never liked Dano’s work in any project. Quite harsh, indeed.
“I’m not saying he’s giving a terrible performance. I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity [performance]. I don’t care for him.
“I don’t care for Owen Wilson, I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.”
To this, Lillard responded during a public event at GalaxyCon, stating: “Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor. Eh, whatever. Who gives a s**t.”
Recently, George Clooney, a prominent figure in Hollywood, stood up for the three actors while accepting an award for his performance in the comedy-drama Jay Kelly.
At the AARP’s Movies for Grownups awards on January 10, Clooney said: “By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honoured to work with those actors. Honoured.”
Now a French citizen, Clooney described Jay Kelly as a film ‘made by people who love actors’.
Clooney added, “That’s an important part. People I’ve known most of my life… actually, most of them are actors. I have a great affinity [for them], and I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel.”
“We are living in a time of cruelty,” Clooney concluded. “We don’t need to be adding to it.”
In the film, Clooney portrays the titular character, a celebrated movie star, alongside Adam Sandler, who plays his dedicated manager. The story follows their journey across Europe as they contemplate their life decisions, relationships, and the legacies they aim to leave behind.
Critics have described the film as ‘a Hollywood satire that’s gentler than one might expect from director Noah Baumbach’.
Attempts to reach out to Tarantino and Dano’s representatives for comments have been made.