George Cloooney defended fellow actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard following disparaging comments made by director Quentin Tarantino in December. While accepting the AARP’s Movies for Grownups Best Actor Award for his turn in “Jay Kelly,” Clooney was quick to offer a kind shout out to the three stars.
“By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored,” he said. He shook his head lightly, seemingly dismissing Tarantino’s previous statements.
Clooney’s Kindness and ‘Jay Kelly’
Speaking about “Jay Kelly,” in which he plays the titular character, Clooney described the film as “about and made by people who love actors–that’s an important part.” The Netflix movie is a dramedy following a famous movie star, Jay Kelly, and his manager, Ron (Adam Sandler), on a life-changing journey through Europe. The film garnered generally positive critical reception.
Clooney emphasized that he has a “great affinity” for his fellow actors and that he does not “enjoy watching people be cruel to actors.” He continued, saying that we are “living in a time of cruelty” and that no one should be adding to the ongoing negativity.
Tarantino’s Original ‘Cruel’ Comments
In December, Tarantino said unkind remarks about Dano, Wilson and Lillard while making an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.
He referred to Dano as “weak sauce, man” when speaking about the actor’s role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly regarded “There Will be Blood.” Tarantino said that the movie was one of his favorites of the 21st century, but that Dano was a “flaw” in the film.
He clarified that he didn’t think Dano was “giving a terrible performance” but rather a “non-entity” performance. However, he went as far to say that Dano is the “weakest [expletive] actor in SAG” before suggesting that Austin Butler should have taken on his “There Will Be Blood” role instead.
“I don’t care for [Dano.] I don’t care for Owen Wilson, I don’t care for Matthew Lillard,” Tarantino continued.
Many industry members–including Clooney, Ben Stiller and Alec Baldwin among others–were quick to defend Dano, Wilson and Lillard from Tarantino’s harsh words. Stiller tweeted that Dano is “brilliant” while Baldwin took to Instagram stories, sharing a video where he says he “love[s]” Paul Dano” and for those who don’t share his feelings about the actor to “shhh.” Canadian actor Simu Liu and “The Batman” director Matt Reeves both called Dano “incredible.”
