Paramount/Miramax
Acclaimed Academy Award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis has become the latest A-list star to throw their support behind Paul Dano after he was unceremoniously based by director Quentin Tarantino, who essentially called him the worst actor in Hollywood.
Daniel Day-Lewis (likely his team) rarely use his Instagram account, only having recently been active due to the release o his film Anemone, which was released on October 3 and was directed by his son.
Following Quentin Tarantino’s pot shot at his There Will Be Blood co-star, however, the 68-year-old three-time Best Actor winner took to social media to declare that Dano is one of the “best and most talented actors of his generation.”
Daniel Day-Lewis took to Instagram to defend Paul Dano against Quentin Tarantino by claiming he is one of the best and most talented actors of his generation
Oh my god Daniel Day Lewis coming out of his Instagram stasis where all he occasionally posts is throwbacks to his own roles and pro-Palestine content (goat) to say this about Paul Dano I’m so sorry Tarantino but it’s never been so over for you pic.twitter.com/dzGlvMaePA
— Scout ! (@ScoutCoker1) December 8, 2025
“There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being #1 or #2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano,” Tarantino said of 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—— actor in SAG [laughs].”
Day-Lewis wasn’t the only A-lister to recently back Dano up in public, as Hollywood stalwart Ben Stiller and The Batman director Matt Reeves — who, in casting Dano as The Riddler, gave him the first Blockbuster movie role of his career — also took to Twitter to sing Dano’s praises.
Paul Dano is f-ing brilliant
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) December 4, 2025
Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person.
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) December 4, 2025
The trio of Day-Lewis, Stiller and Reeves join previous Hollywood figures Matson Tomlin and Simu Liu in defending Dano on social media.
“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,” The Batman: Part II writer Matson Tomlin posted on social media last week alongside hundreds if not thousands of other movie fans.
“idk man i think Paul Dano is an incredible actor,” tweeted Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Simu Liu.
Dano will next be seen starring int he films The Wizard of the Kremlin and The Chaperones.