Quentin Tarantino is one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. Despite his unblemished career as a director, some of his opinions and antics have made him an increasingly divisive figure.In the recent news about the Pulp Fiction director, actor Paul Dano has finally responded to Tarantino’s scathing remarks about his proficiency as an actor. While attending the Sundance Film Festival to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Little Miss Sunshine, Dano was interviewed by Variety alongside his former co-star Toni Collette, where he finally broke his silence on the entire debacle.Collette was first to weigh in when asked by the interviewer:“Are we really going there? F--k that guy! He must’ve been high… it was just confusing. Who does that?”Dano then added:“That was really nice. I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”For context, while appearing on an episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast released on December 2, 2025, Quentin Tarantino gave his list of Top 10 films of the century. While he had high praise for There Will Be Blood, he lambasted Dano’s performance in the film, dubbing him the "weakest actor in SAG”:“[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. [Daniel] is eating him [alive]. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. Daniel Day-Lewis shows that he doesn’t need a strong foil. The movie needs it. He doesn’t need anything. It’s supposed to be a two-hander and it’s not! … you put him with the the weakest f*cking actor in SAG? The limpest d*ck in the world?”In the time since, several influential actors and directors have spoken out publicly against Quentin Tarantino and in support of Dano, including Ben Stiller, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Benicio del Toro and Paul Thomas Anderson.Meanwhile, social media users were quick to react to the latest development in this story, with one X user echoing Toni Collette’s thoughts to a tee:“Good grief. Paul Dano is one of the most versatile actors working today. Tarantino must have been high.”Other online commenters had a similar opinion, with one X user stating:“Was Tarantino too high or what got into him? The most random insult ever”Some attacked Quentin Tarantino comically, with an X user making light of the filmmaker’s well-documented love for feet:“He was amazing in Looper and There Will be Blood among many others. Very strange. Maybe Quentin didn’t like his feet.Others commented on the support Paul Dano deservedly received after the director’s public criticisms, with one X user stating:“He didn’t clap back. He got clapped for”Quentin Tarantino slams Matthew Lillard, moreInterestingly, Paul Dano was not the only target of Quentin Tarantino’s critiques while on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast. The revered director also spoke out against Matthew Lillard, saying plainly, “I don’t care for” the actor.Now, Lillard has also responded to Tarantino’s comments in a January 28 interview with Entertainment Weekly. Interestingly, he focuses on the support he got from his loved ones and fans:“It was like living through your own wake. All those R.I.P. emails or tweets and Instagram posts and TikToks, all of the things we see after somebody passes are so sweet. And the reality is I just got to live through all of it firsthand — alive and kicking! I can’t imagine a more lovely reaction to what happened.”The actor added:“It was crazy. I keep showing it to my wife to convince her that I am worthy, that people still like me. Nobody has to like me. Nobody has to like any actor out there, obviously. It’s personal preference. I am not everyone’s first choice, that is obvious, but to then have that kind of reaction was beautiful.”It is clear Quentin Tarantino’s comments did not sit well with many in the industry, and they are not intimidated to speak up about it.