Quentin Tarantino’s attempted drinking of Paul Dano’s proverbial milkshake spurred a legion of defenders last year, and now the There Will Be Blood and The Batman actor is letting the people know just how “grateful” he was for the ensuing support.
As you’ll recall, social media was alive with the sounds of widespread Dano praise late last year after Tarantino described the actor as everything from “the weakest male actor in SAG” to “the limpest dick in the world” while discussing Paul Thomas Anderson’s TWBB on Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast. While Tarantino is a fan of the film, and considers it one of the best of the century, he argued that Dano’s performance is “a big giant flaw.”
Now, per a report from Variety’s Matt Donnelly, Dano has responded to the wave of support he received following Tarantino’s seemingly out-of-nowhere disses. Notably, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director also referred to Dano as “weak sauce” in his 2025 conversation with Ellis.
“That was really nice,” Dano told the publication at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which marks its last outing in Utah. “I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”
The Dano-featuring Little Miss Sunshine, which premiered at Sundance in 2006, commemorated its 20th anniversary at this year’s festival with a cast reunion and special screening. Dano’s co-star Toni Collette, as well as directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, also addressed Tarantino’s remarks in comments to Variety.
Dano isn’t alone in fielding Tarantino-related questions this week. Matthew Lillard, whose acting Tarantino is also not particularly fond of, compared the experience of receiving a flood of support from those who do appreciate his work to “living through your own wake” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Nick Romano. Previously, the actor told fans “it fucking sucks” to hear the kind of remarks Tarantino shared.
