Mattson Tomlin, co-writer of The Batman 2 alongside director Matt Reeves, has defended actor Paul Dano following high-profile criticism from Quentin Tarantino.
Earlier this week, Quentin Tarantino said There Will Be Blood could have been his favorite film of the 21st century if “weak sauce” actor Paul Dano wasn’t in it.
The Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs writer and director appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast to reveal his 20 favorite films of the 21st century. Tarantino said There Will Be Blood might have been his top pick if it weren’t for Paul Dano, who he described as the film’s “giant flaw.” Dano played identical twins Paul and Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 period drama.
Here’s the quote in full, as confirmed by Deadline:
“Daniel Day-Lewis. The old-style craftsmanship quality to the film. It had an old Hollywood craftsmanship without trying to be like that. It was the only film he’s ever done, and I brought it up to him, that doesn’t have a set piece. The fire is the closest to a set piece. This was about dealing with the narrative, dealing with the story, and he did it f***ing amazingly. There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being 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, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f***ing actor in SAG [laughs].”
Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote 1991 novel American Psycho, suggested Dano faced an impossible task keeping up with Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-winning performance. “Daniel Day-Lewis also makes it impossible to make it a two-hander because there are aspects of that performance that are so gargantuan,” he said.
Tarantino countered: “So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?” Later, he clarified his position, insisting: “I’m not saying he’s giving a terrible performance. I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity performance.” But Tarantino’s feelings on Dano are clear: “I don’t care for him,” he said. “I don’t care for him, I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.”
After Tarantino’s comments hit the internet, fans moved to defend Dano’s performance in There Will Be Blood, pointing out the context surrounding his role. Dano, who was only 23 years old when he was cast in the film, was originally only set to play the brother Paul, but took over both the twin roles two weeks after filming began when the actor originally cast as Eli, Kel O’Neill, was fired because Paul Thomas Anderson decided he “wasn’t the right fit.”
Now, screenwriter Mattson Tomlin has defended Dano, taking to social media to hail the backlash to Tarantino’s comments.
“I am really pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano this week,” he said. “Not only is he a terrific actor, but he’s an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy. Check out Wildlife if you haven’t seen it.”
I am really pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano this week. Not only is he a terrific actor, but he’s an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy. Check out WILDLIFE if you haven’t seen it: https://t.co/WDb34MwjcE
— mattson tomlin (@mattsontomlin) December 3, 2025
The question of whether Dano will reprise his role as the Riddler, who was the antagonist of The Batman, for its sequel remains unanswered (although we do know Marvel star Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to join the movie in a mystery role). Dano’s Riddler was last seen behind bars in Arkham, where he has a chat with the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan.
Tomlin wasn’t alone in defending Dano in the wake of Tarantino’s comments. Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu posted on social media: “Idk man I think Paul Dano is an incredible actor.”
idk man i think paul dano is an incredible actor
— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) December 4, 2025
Meanwhile, Dillon Freasier, who played H.W. Plainview (the son of Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview), told TMZ that There Will Be Blood is a “perfect” movie. “It’s a work of art,” Freasier, who was a child actor in There Will Be Blood, said. “And it’s that way because everyone was perfectly cast.”
After the movie came out, Dano spoke about the difficulty he faced adding his extra role with very little time to prepare. “On There Will Be Blood I was cast at the last minute,” he said in an interview with Indiewire. “I had 3 1/2 to 4 days to get ready for the first day. That was just guts and instinct, not a lot of preparation.”
Daniel Day-Lewis was also full of praise of his co-star in a BBC interview ahead of the film’s release, saying:
“Actually, when we cast the film originally we cast somebody else in the part of Eli and we shot for three or four weeks with a different actor. But it didn’t work out for a number of reasons. It’s the only occasion in my life that, during the course of a piece of work, we had to re-cast and re-shoot stuff which I wouldn’t wish on anybody. Paul was already contracted to play the part of Paul, and we’d all considered him for Eli already, so it seemed like an obvious choice. He flew out to what he thought would be one of his scenes as Paul and we asked him what he thought about also playing Eli and he never went home again. He had two days to prepare for the part. He came out on a Friday evening and we were shooting scenes on Monday with him. And I swear to God on set that day he was a recognisable, fully formed character. I dare say he was slightly unsettled in himself, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. He was just right there.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
