Hollywood actor Ethan Hawke has heaped praise on fellow actor Paul Dano, calling him a “world-class human being.”
The ‘Blue Moon’ star reflected on the recent controversy where director Quentin Tarantino referred to Dano as “weak sauce” and the “worst f** actor in SAG.” Hawke viewed this incident as a “great lesson” in how to handle negativity, noting the outpouring of support for Dano.
In an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, he said, “I don’t think Paul Dano ever knew that so many people loved him. He’s gotta wake up one morning and find out this director’s gone off on him and saying these hateful things, but anyone who knows Quentin knows he just talks and talks.”
Hawke emphasized, “Anyone who knows Paul knows he’s a world-class human being. All this love for Paul is coming out. There’s a great lesson in that. You don’t have to worry about the negativity people send your way.”
Tarantino did mention Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 drama ‘There Will Be Blood’ as his fifth-favourite movie of the 21st century. However, he admitted it would rank higher if he hadn’t been disappointed by Dano’s performance alongside Daniel Day-Lewis.
On The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, he stated, “There Will Be Blood would stand a better chance to be in number one or number two 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, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. He is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. [Dano] just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy.”
Following Tarantino’s remarks, numerous stars came forward to defend Dano. Filmmaker Matt Reeves praised him on social media, calling Dano “an incredible actor and an incredible person.” Reeves worked with Dano on the 2022 movie ‘The Batman’.
Hollywood actor Ben Stiller responded to Reeves’ message with a Hallelujah emoji, adding his own praise on his X account, stating, “Paul Dano is f** brilliant (sic).” Simu Liu, the star from ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ also commended the talented actor.