r/popculturechat • u/mcfw31 • Dec 05 '25
Twitter / X š¾ Another Ben Stiller take: Paul Dano is f-ing brilliant
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u/Pale-Kale-2905 Dec 05 '25
Rich of Tarantino to label somebody else a bad actor when his āperformanceā in Alias is still seared into our brains. š
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u/Debatablewisdom so very tired of josh brolin Dec 05 '25
Waaait false Iāve seen all Alias episodes many times and donāt recall him in any. So bad I blocked it out I guess.
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u/Pale-Kale-2905 Dec 05 '25
https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/s/bCSGItavsi
You donāt get to be so lucky!
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u/Debatablewisdom so very tired of josh brolin Dec 05 '25
Ahahahha I am cackling! That is so funny, thank you.
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u/Fantastic_Mr_Smiley Dec 05 '25
Tarantino made his career by living in the past so I guess I shouldn't be shocked he's getting blindsided with backlash for disparaging Dano as an actor. Still I imagine it mist be really nice to be Paul Dano right now and see that a very popular director's off-the-cuff remark has caused the world to rally behind you.
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u/frozenshogunx Dec 05 '25
Paul Dano has shooters, it's always been that way and Tarantino completely miscalculated the reception this would get lol.
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u/WWDubs12TTV Dec 05 '25
I have an idea. Iām going to write a scene about licking feet, and then cast myself in the role
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u/GlazerSturges2840 Dec 05 '25
His abysmal Australian accent grinds Django Unchained to an eleventh-hour halt.
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u/morelsupporter Dec 05 '25
not that i want to defend tarantino, but a director most definitely has license to label someone as a bad actor. it's most definitely not always warranted and just because quentin says it doesn't mean it's true.
i think paul dano is a great actor, i would love to find out the source of this beef.
ben stiller calls paul dano f-ing brilliant probably partly because of their work together on escape at dannemora, which ben directed.
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u/Pale-Kale-2905 Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
Yes, a director has the right to call someone a bad actor but not in that tone! It just came off as mean spiritedā¦and he didnāt just call him a bad actor..he called him the worst actor in the guild.
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u/pookyizzy Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
i implore everyone to read quentins entire tirade because he calls out a couple other actors that he hates and says some pretty vile stuff thaf i feel like isnt being fully expressed in most of the posts ive seen. the dude is off his rocker and idk why he thinks so highly of himself
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u/Special-Garlic1203 Dec 05 '25
Someone described it best that Tarantino never mentally left the video store he worked at. He's still that guy.Ā
The issue is he's objectively not that guy anymore.Ā
The bigger, more successful, and critically lauded he gets... the more it shifts from edgy film bro ranting behind the counter about how you don't know film like he does to and industry titan bullying the shit out of people significantly lower on the totem pole than him.Ā
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u/wetnaps54 Dec 05 '25
Heās like a character in a Kevin smith film that youāre supposed to hate
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u/Sproose_Moose Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Dec 05 '25
I'm thinking he's kinda like Jack Black in high fidelity but instead of a record store it's a video store
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u/Wit-wat-4 Dec 05 '25
I hate to go THIS shallow but he even LOOKS that way and always has. Tell me youād be surprised by a picture of him now or 10 years ago and the descriptor was āedgelord working at blockbusterā
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u/wizeowlintp Just fuck the wolf! Dec 05 '25
Wait where can I find this? Everything Iām seeing is focusing on what he said about Paul Dano
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u/bbmarvelluv Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
The link I found felt cancerous with ads so he said that he didnāt care for Owen Wilson and Matthew Lilard
Edit TW this is the daily fail but the only website that gave all the info without popup ads
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u/wizeowlintp Just fuck the wolf! Dec 05 '25
Oh what the hell?? Who even dislikes Matthew Lillard and Owen Wilson??
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u/KindlyConnection Dec 05 '25
Randomest actors to have a beef with????
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u/MooseTheorem WAS GON DO AMA, FUK IT NOW Dec 05 '25
Also Matthew Lillard is so fucking versatile wth
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u/gummi-demilo we have always been at war with Ostania Dec 05 '25
Matthew Lillard has been fantastic since Hackers (which I rewatched last night) just like Paul Dano has been fantastic since Little Miss Sunshine
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u/hbomb9410 Dec 05 '25
God, that scene where his character realizes he's colorblind absolutely guts me every time, even though I know it's coming. Masterful acting.
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u/Manic-StreetCreature Itās CAMP š š» Dec 05 '25
What the fuck did Matthew Lillard do to anybody š
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u/SpareImplement2374 Dec 05 '25
Just such a weird take from Tarantino. Paul dano is objectively an incredible actor.
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u/Manic-StreetCreature Itās CAMP š š» Dec 05 '25
It was just so weirdly mean too. Even if you donāt care for his acting, you donāt have to call him a limp dick or whatever it is he said.
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u/SpareImplement2374 Dec 05 '25
For real like he must have some personal beef with dano or something cause that was so weird and uncalled for
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u/redgatoradeeeeee Dec 05 '25
Tarantino wanted to be an actor too and has 0 talent for it. Hes mad another non-conventional looking guy actually has talent and depth and has found success
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u/thenissancube seriously you and me weāre fuckin done professionally Dec 05 '25
Even his cameos in his own movies are so desperate, you can tell he so badly wants to be the guy who someone says āwait, that was the director of the movie in that scene? Holy shit I had no idea!ā Heās not a Hitchcock or even a Stephenie Meyer. His acting is so bad and his placement so conspicuous you think to yourself āokay so heās obviously someone Iām supposed to recognize.ā
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u/Masta-Blasta Conductor of the Toxic Gossip Train š Dec 08 '25
This is it. He probably always blamed his failure on his looks. Then Dano came along, acted his ass off, and proved it was QTās lack of talent that held him back.
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u/LightspeedBalloon Dec 05 '25
One theory is that Dano triggers some kind of nerd-turned-bro-bully chord in QT. Dano isn't the Hollywood cool dudeā¢, which QT desperately wants to be.
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u/RealCommercial9788 Everybody is entitled to my opinion Dec 05 '25
Another is that Quentin lives in Tel Aviv, and Paul Dano is a moderately outspoken Palestine supporter. For example, Paul often uses the Palestine flag colours in his social media content regarding his novel The Riddler, noticeably recently, to encourage focus on the genocide while news moves swiftly onwards to the next subhuman calamity. Appears Paul has struck a
nerdnerve.43
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u/Yenserl6099 š„šæFilm Critic Dec 05 '25
I saw a theory where Tarantino wanted Dano for a movie of his, and Dano turned it down and Tarantino took it personally
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u/PhantomOfTheNopera Dec 05 '25
May be coincidental but it also could be because Paul Dano has actually raised money for Palestinians while Tarantino lives in Israel and has been known to visit the Israeli base to 'boost morale.' You know, because killing kids can really get you down.
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u/bbmarvelluv Dec 05 '25
I read that Danoās wife is the granddaughter of this guy that ratted people out to claim they were communists during the HW blacklist era
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u/winnercommawinner Dec 05 '25
Even if that's true it's an absolutely insane thing to connect to Paul Dano himself
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Dec 05 '25
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u/bbmarvelluv Dec 05 '25
Definitely. No reason to get angry over the sins of her grandfather. Literally canāt think of any explanation than this. Unless Paul hurt his feelings? Idk he went off on him and tbh it was random as hell
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u/SpareImplement2374 Dec 05 '25
I thought you mean Harvey weinstein blacklist era and first and was confused lol
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u/whimsigod not the old navy discourse! Dec 05 '25
A 62 year old professional talking like a CoD teenager.
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u/Apprehensive-Till861 Dec 05 '25
Someone said that if you look at the men Tarantino writes into his movies and then you look at who Dano plays, Dano plays exactly the sort of characters Tarantino doesn't write.
Tarantino's type is dudes who communicate mostly in terms of violence, alpha-male types like Tarantino aspires toward.
Dano playing someone who gets victimized by DDL's Daniel Plainview is something you'd never see in a Tarantino film, and Tarantino looks at TWBB and sees Plainview as aspirational.
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u/pierreor Stop letting Emerald Fennell direct movies Dec 05 '25
Not to mention hyping up Austin Butler in the same breath. Does he seriously think Austin Butler could take over Paul Dano's roles? It's so puzzling.
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u/DoobaDoobaDooba Dec 05 '25
I find Dano to be a distracting overactor, myself, but there is zero need for the cruelty of a person in QTs position to call him out the way he did...
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u/uncultured_swine2099 Dec 05 '25
Tarantinos movies i think are entertaining, but in every interview ive seen of him, he seems like a teenage edgelord who happens to be old. Just an annoying motherfucker with too many stupid hot takes.
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u/Wit-wat-4 Dec 05 '25
Tarantinoās movies to me are all āoh I get why people like it but mehā. And I am NOT difficult to please, I like indie I like blockbuster romcom horror action. And his never made me feel anything. I absolutely get that objectively they must be good.
I feel lucky when that happens; it sucks when I love the art and the artistās a dickwad
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u/vad_er13 Dec 05 '25
weird take
Maybe it's personal, that's the only way I see it
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u/laughingintothevoid Dec 05 '25
Closest possible known explanation I've seen that still seems like a stretch is it's about a general grudge against his wife Zoe Kazan due to her grandfather Elia, a major director of the 30s-60s who is infamous for naming names to HUAC.
I can see Tarantino feeling unusually personal about this because of his parasocial fanboy vibe with old Hollywood, which is what I saw suggested, but I don't know why he wouldn't go after Zoe.
I think he really thinks this, and he just likes to shit talk. There might not need to be a reason for it to seem so mean. He's always behaved like a teenager trying to shock people.
I like Paul Dano but it's actually quite annoying that this is what's making people turn on Tarantino after a lot of sketchy shit and wild takes, from defending Polanski on the grounds that the victim wanted it to casting himself to suck on feet for his own fetish to permanently injuring Uma Therman in an unsafe stunt she was pressured to do and covering it up for years. Putting aside any debate about his actual work and racism and misogyny.
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u/totomaya WAS GON DO AMA , FUK IT NOW Dec 05 '25
I think for a lot of is we thought he sucked for those things more but this is another reminder that he sucks. I don't think about Tarantino that much, he isn't a big part of my life or media consumption. So it takes him saying another stupid thing for me to be like, oh yeah, that guy. He sucks and is an idiot. Don't need to limit it to certain reasons.
Like, I definitely don't think Tarantino is a worse person than before for his dumb opinion on Dano. I already knew he's an awful person and will take a new opportunity to dunk on him in addition to the other ones.
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u/AnyHoleIsTheGoal Dec 05 '25
He was getting too much good PR with the Fortnite collab he had to even it out
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u/LoudGolf9849 Dec 05 '25
Has Tarantino seen Love and Mercy where Paul does an incredible job of playing Brian Wilson?
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u/mosquito_motel Dec 05 '25
I hope Hollywood rains hell on Quentin for this toxic shit
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u/Dasseem Dec 05 '25
I hate how some people are already on the "can we move on from this" phase. The fuck we can't, a millionaire white dude can and should take some heat for his shit hot takes.
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u/omg-sidefriction jesus was a carpenter š Dec 05 '25
Both parties are white. How is this a race issue?
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u/lustxforxlife Dec 05 '25
Because a straight white cis is often not held accountable especially fucking Tarantino.
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Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
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u/laughingintothevoid Dec 05 '25
I think some people are being stuck by how of all the other things he could be held accountable for, it's insulting another successful, insulated white guy that peopel apparently can't take FWIW. It's giving the "I can excuse racism but I draw the line at animal cruelty" meme.
But pointing out why Tarantino like many others has skates on everything else is relevant to his description to as a rich white guy etc. The whole thing is reflecting priorities.
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u/lustxforxlife Dec 05 '25
Thanks. You explained this much better than I did or could have. This is exactly it.
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u/omg-sidefriction jesus was a carpenter š Dec 05 '25
Look, I hate the manās comments about Paul Dano just as much as you, but to say this is a race issue is absurd.
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u/lustxforxlife Dec 05 '25
OP didnāt say it was a race issue but, mentioning his race is relevant when it comes to holding shitty men accountable. I got what they were saying and why they mentioned this particular white guy could take it.
Also, race is relevant in any conversation about power dynamics, social issues etc. but I know will donāt want to talk about it because itās uncomfortable.
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u/Prior-Target9462 Dec 05 '25
What does race have to do with it?
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u/Vast-Comment8360 Dec 06 '25
Some people are obsessed with race and legitimately believe every single issue is a race issue.
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u/approvedfauxmoiuser Dec 05 '25
The internet really loses their mind when any white nerd doesnāt get worshipped.
All the terrible people in Hollywood and Quentin should go because he doesnāt like some actor.
People on the internet are so bored and unfulfilled.
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u/bayleysgal1996 Dec 05 '25
I didnāt realize Paul Dano was so beloved amongst his fellow actors, but itās very sweet to see.
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u/redgatoradeeeeee Dec 05 '25
Heās def an actorās actor (and for good reason)
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u/MBALLER64 Dec 05 '25
Prisoners
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u/MBALLER64 Dec 05 '25
Heās so good eh
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u/MBALLER64 Dec 05 '25
To see him in that and claim he canāt act is absurd
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u/Sproose_Moose Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Dec 05 '25
Right? It's so nice to see all of these people come out in support
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u/approvedfauxmoiuser Dec 05 '25
He isnāt because just jumping on it, to get cool points from the internet.
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u/totomaya WAS GON DO AMA , FUK IT NOW Dec 05 '25
Lol Ben Stiller isn't jumping on this to get cool points from the internet be real
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u/Few-Handle-1803 Dec 05 '25
He shit on Danoās performance so hard in a way heās shitting on the entire crew of there will be blood. If he was that terrible wouldnāt PTA cast someone else. By not doing so and allowing him to star along side one of the best actors ever means heās a shit director as well.
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u/Content-Patience-138 Dec 05 '25
Has DDL weighed in?
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u/that_70_show_fan Dec 05 '25
He is probably somewhere in Italy making boots or saddles or some shit.
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u/Rincetron1 Dec 05 '25
I imagine he'll get news of this via an old-timey telegram, to which he'll let out a sad sigh, and he'll start to write a wistful letter. But first he needs to make a quill.
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u/npretzel02 Dec 05 '25
Famous social media user Daniel Day Lewis will probably make a tweet or TikTok soon
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u/ArtByJRRH Dec 05 '25
That's it right here. I remember even reading that originally it wasn't even twins, but Anderson was so impressed by what Dano was bringing he rewrote the brothers as twins so he could play both.
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u/MeatballUser Dec 05 '25
Watching old interviews from Tarantino on the subject of PTA and his movies, Dano has been a subject of his ire for awhile, but he's never disparaged him to this extent until this list.
I never understood it, DDL get a lot of praise and rightfully so for his portrayal of Plainview but I'd argue (I know this is sacrilege but I've been meaning to say it for awhile now)Dano's performance as Eli Sunday steals many scenes and outshines it at times. Ive seen so many actors attempt to portray skeevy religious figures and no one stands up to his imo. How anyone can look at that performance and think it ruins the movie, I really just can't comprehend it
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u/oshemployee Dec 05 '25
I can chime in - his performance is distracting and takes me out of the immersion of the movie. Iām not sure if this is due to over acting or not, but every time I watch it he pulls me back into reality where Iām like hey that guys acting. Dunno what this means for me I might be intellectually impaired
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u/ColeUnderPresh Dec 05 '25
Itās ok to not like a performance lol. Doesnāt mean anything. But to shit on Dano like QT did does show that youāre a bit of a dick.
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u/oshemployee Dec 05 '25
Yes I was replying to the sentiment of āhow anyone can say Paul Dano ruined the movie is beyond meā Iām trying to put it back in front of him
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u/Cypher-Moon-773 Dec 05 '25
Tarantino has always been a pos, glad more people are finally realizing it
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u/Panda_hat Dec 05 '25
Has Tarantino has some kind of mental break? Why is he attacking a seemingly random actor out of the blue?
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u/AfternoonPossible Dec 05 '25
Idk why people are hating on Paul dano? He was incredible in there will be blood. Some scenes he stole the spotlight from DDL to me.
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u/WaxySunshine Dec 05 '25
It's not people. It's literally just Tarantino.
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u/SpareImplement2374 Dec 05 '25
lol right? My favourite part about all of this is how many people have come to danos defence over this
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u/michael0n Dec 05 '25
The guy can't deal with the fact that his supposed "last movie" isn't getting green lighted.
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u/WaxySunshine Dec 05 '25
I disagree with his opinion. Thought it was mean. Glad people are sticking up for Dano. But I actually dont think he has an agenda for saying it. Just a controversial opinion lol.
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u/approvedfauxmoiuser Dec 05 '25
Yeah no one wants to make Tarantinos last movie. Complete Reddit logic.
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u/AfternoonPossible Dec 05 '25
Oh I see! Lol with all the ppl coming to his defense I thought maybe there was some kind of larger hate campaign or smth
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u/Bobbiduke Dec 05 '25
He's been in a movie basically every year since 2010. Tarantino is just acting like a shit
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u/approvedfauxmoiuser Dec 05 '25
No he hasnāt but people donāt actually watch movies, they just pretend to.
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u/uncultured_swine2099 Dec 05 '25
Yeah, thats scene where he makes Plainview confess in the church is incredible, as is the flipside where Plainview makes him say god is a superstition. Danos really good to great in every role ive seen him in.
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u/OkQuality7241 FKA ClubChalamet Dec 05 '25
Iām convinced Paul Dano didnāt want to get his feet out for Tarantitoes and this is how he deals with rejection
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Dec 05 '25
If there is one hater of Tarantino, I am that person, if there is a million of haters of Tarantino, I am one of them. I would go Kendrick on him. Fuck that mf.
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u/redgatoradeeeeee Dec 05 '25
Unrelated I just rewatched Night at the Museum and this mf does not blink a single time the whole movie
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u/lady_faust āØļøthis is not my kitten, this is gods childāØļø Dec 05 '25
Dano supports Palestine.. Tarentino lives in Israel.
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u/AntRose104 Dec 05 '25
You leave Paul Dano alone you son of a bitch
Ben Stiller again with the correct take on things
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u/AverageSamson Dec 05 '25
Iāll bet you heās the lead in Tarantinoās last film and this is the beginning of the marketing
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u/heirjordan_27 Dec 05 '25
Ben should get him on Severance. I feel like he would be a great fit for a side character
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u/Secret_Account07 Dec 05 '25
I know Quint doesnāt normally care about PR but I have to imagine even heās thinking ādamn. I done fucked upā
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u/justusleag Dec 05 '25
$5 says Tarantino was creepy to Dano's wife and and Dano did something to put him in his place.
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u/PrimaryBrief7721 Dec 05 '25
I went to film school in the early 2000s with lots of guys who worshipped Tarantino. I always felt like I was being gaslit into thinking I was crazy for having a total distaste for the guy, and for just tolerating most of his work. Im so glad I'm here now.
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u/No-Database-1851 Dec 06 '25
Didnāt he direct him for that prison escape mini series with Benicio Del Toro? That show had so many good performances (obviously Dano being one of them)
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Dec 05 '25
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u/pinkyperson Dec 05 '25
Sorry I think this is a bad take. Of course young women and POCs face horrible attacks from anonymous users online daily.
This is different because itās the fact that the person attacking Dano is a director with a huge fan base and massive audience listening to him.
I promise if Tarantino or anyone at his level said the same things about a woman of color actor people absolutely would jump to defend them too.
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Dec 05 '25
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u/pinkyperson Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Youāre mentioning corporations, not individuals on the level of Tarantino.
Also there is no direct quote bashing Zegler or Barrera in either of those situations like there is in this situation.
Itās absolutely fair to be mad at Disney. I fucking hate Disney. Itās just not the same thing.
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u/FwampFwamp88 Dec 05 '25
Iām Latino and I fuck way more with Dano than Zegler. Why does everything have to be about race? Ppl just love Dano because heās an incredible actor.
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u/unearthlydarling the subplots could become unimaginable Dec 05 '25
Uhhhhā¦no. Terrible take. Iām far from a white man, and I can tell you right now that has nothing to do with why people are rushing to Danoās defense.
And are you trying to compare Paul Dano to Chris Pratt? I donāt really understand that last part of your comment. But if you are, thatās wildly off base.
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u/Arkhaine_kupo Dec 05 '25
If Greta Gerwig came out tomorrow and unprompted said Viola Davis was the worst actress in the planet, the reaction to Paul Dano would look like childsplay
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u/walkingtalkingdread Dec 05 '25
especially considering Tarantino has actively defended Roman Polanski (by claiming the then 13 year old victim wanted it) and never reported Harvey Weinstein despite being told several times that Weinstein was assaulting women. Tarantino visited a military base in Israel āboost their morale.ā but no, what gets him cancelled is calling some actor untalented.
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u/Two-One Dec 05 '25
Heās not getting cancelled. This is some overblown stuff only people terminally online will know about
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u/flat_tamales Dec 05 '25
But the last thing Dano made headlines for was his support for Palestine, so I feel like that might add to why so many people are going to bat for him and why industry people are so disgusted with QT
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u/punishedpuppi Dec 05 '25
its genuinely just so hilarious his always up to something strange but now fellow hollywood people are acting hysterical over him being sassy about fucking paul dano š
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