Alec Baldwin Comes to the Defense of Paul Dano After Quentin Tarantino Called Him “Weak Sauce” and “Uninteresting”

Hollywood rarely agrees on anything — but this week, it seems the industry has found common ground: Paul Dano deserves better. Days after filmmaker Quentin Tarantino randomly went scorched-earth on the There Will Be Blood star, calling him “weak sauce,” “uninteresting,” and “the weakest f***ing actor in SAG,” several actors and fans rushed to defend Dano’s reputation. The latest voice to enter the conversation belongs to Alec Baldwin, who posted a video on Instagram making his stance crystal clear.

“I just want to say, ‘I love Paul Dano,’” Baldwin said, even putting a finger to his lips as a silent message to anyone who disagreed: keep it to yourself.

Baldwin never named Tarantino directly, but the subtext was impossible to miss — especially as the director has also criticized Baldwin over the Rust shooting incident, insisting the actor was responsible “to some degree” even after Baldwin’s acquittal. The exchange comes amid a week-long backlash to Tarantino’s appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he praised There Will Be Blood as one of the century’s best films but asserted it could have ranked even higher if not for Dano’s performance.

“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man… He’s such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy… You put him with the weakest f***ing actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?”

Who Has Defended Paul Dano?

Tarantino even theorized a performer like Austin Butler would have elevated the film, insisting Dano delivered a “non-entity performance.” Fans and peers strongly disagreed. Plus, Butler was literally a child when that particular film came out, making the comparison rather odd. Simu Liu weighed in on X with a simple counterpoint: “I think Paul Dano is an incredible actor.” Screenwriter Mattson Tomlin, now working on The Batman Part II, echoed that sentiment — calling Dano “a terrific actor” and “an astonishing director,” urging audiences to revisit Dano’s acclaimed directorial debut Wildlife.

Even Dillon Freasier, who acted alongside Dano as a child in There Will Be Blood, disputed Tarantino’s criticism. Speaking to TMZ, he praised the film as “perfect” and said, “It’s a work of art. And it’s that way because everyone was perfectly cast.”

For now, Baldwin’s lips-sealed gesture sums up the mood: if you don’t like Paul Dano, maybe keep that to yourself. Stay tuned for updates.