‘One of the best actors of his generation’: Daniel Day-Lewis defends Paul Dano after Tarantino criticism | Paul Dano

Daniel Day-Lewis, co-star in Paul Dano’s There Will Be Blood, has defended the actor after Quentin Tarantino criticized him.

The director took issue with Dano’s talents while discussing his list of the best films of the century on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast. Tarantino said he would have moved Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 drama higher than fifth place if a different actor had played the role of preacher Eli Sunday.

“There Be Blood would have a good chance of being No. 1 or No. 2 if it didn’t have one big, giant flaw… and the flaw is Paul Dano,” Tarantino said.

“It’s obviously supposed to be two games, but it’s also clearly not a two-handed game. [Dano] Weak sauce, man. She is the weak sister. Austin Butler would have been great in the role. He’s just a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest actor in SAG.

Day-Lewis, who suggested Dano for the role after the original actor dropped out on short notice, posted on Instagram, saying: “Paul Dano is one of the best and most talented actors of his generation.”

Dano and Day-Lewis previously worked together on 2005’s The Ballad of Jack and Rose.

Many film industry names also showed their support for Dano, with Ben Stiller posting that Dano is “absolutely brilliant”, while Batman director Matt Reeves described him as “an amazing actor and a wonderful person”.

Dillon Fraser, who played Day-Lewis’ adopted son in There Will Be Blood, told TMZ that the film was “perfect,” adding, “It’s a work of art. That’s the way it is because everyone is cast perfectly.”

Others pointed to Dano’s prowess as a director, urging people to seek out his 2018 film Wildlife.

It was announced Monday that Dano will join Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz in the cast of Bunker, a thriller from writer-director Florian Zeller.

Tarantino also said he “didn’t care” about actors Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard on the podcast. Speaking during the GalaxyCon event in Ohio, Lillard said such criticism “hurts your feelings.”

He added: “It’s disgusting. And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to someone who is one of the top actors in Hollywood. I’m very popular in this room. I’m very unpopular in Hollywood. There are two very different microcosms, right? And so, you know, it’s humbling and painful.”