Quentin Tarantino has admitted that while Midnight in Paris is one of his favorite movies, he "can't stand" the film's lead actor, Owen Wilson.
In the wake of the acclaimed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood filmmaker's remarks on Paul Dano's performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, commentary has broken out in connection with similarly critical remarks the writer and director made about Wilson.
Discussing Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino placed it among his personal picks for the top films of the century — with one caveat.
"I do think that’s where he got into Purple Rose of Cairo, Broadway Danny Rose, this was fully baked," Tarantino told Ellis. "And oddly enough, I really can’t stand Owen Wilson. I mean, I can’t stand him.
"I spent the first time watching the movie loving it and hating him. The second time I watched the movie, I was like, 'Oh okay, don’t be such a prick. He’s not so bad.' … Then the third time I watched it, I found myself watching him."
Tarantino and Ellis then went on to discuss Woody’s film further, including commentary on the appeal of the film’s title.
As for Tarantino’s Dano criticism, it has spurred a fervent wave of defense from fans and fellow filmmakers alike. Mattson Tomlin, who worked as a writer on the upcoming The Batman sequel, recently took to X to praise Dano, who played The Riddler in Matt Reeves' first Batman film, calling him "a terrific actor."
Elsewhere during his chat with Bret Easton Ellis, Tarantino took some time to give props to Brad Pitt for his performance in the movie Moneyball.
"At the end of the day, the reason [the film] stayed with me is Brad Pitt's performance was one of my favorite star performances," he said.