Matthew Lillard fires back at Quentin Tarantino’s acting attack

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Matthew Lillard has reacted to Quentin Tarantino’s blistering attack on his acting skills after the filmmaker declared the Scream and Scooby-Doo star one of his least favourite movie stars.

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Tarantino went viral last week when he dismissed actor Paul Dano for his work opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 2007’s There Will Be Blood.

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As the Oscar winner rhymed off his 20 favourite movies of the 21st century during an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino said that There Will Be Blood, which he ranked fifth, would have been higher “if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano.”

“He is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister,” the Pulp Fiction director said. “He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy.”

Tarantino then listed two other actors he’s not fond of: Owen Wilson and Lillard.

After naming Wilson’s 2011 flick Midnight in Paris as his 10th favourite movie, Tarantino declared his deep dislike for the Stick star.

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“Oddly enough, I really can’t stand Owen Wilson. I mean, I can’t stand him,” Tarantino said. “I spent the first time watching the movie loving it and hating him,” he continued. “The second time I watched the movie, I was like ‘OK, don’t be such a prick. He’s not so bad. He’s not so bad.’ And then the third time I watched it I found myself watching him.”

How did Lillard respond to Tarantino?

Tarantino didn’t expand on why he disliked Lillard enough to name him as one of Hollywood’s least watchable actors, but the Five Nights at Freddy’s actor addressed his inclusion during an appearance at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio.

“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor,” Lillard said as he spoke to the crowd in a video from the event, per Entertainment Weekly. As attendees booed, Lillard continued, “Whatever. Who gives a s***.”

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However, Lillard admitted that Tarantino’s bruising public assessment did leave a mark.

“It hurts your feelings. It f***ing sucks,” he said. “And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”

Looking on the bright side, Lillard said that he enjoys meeting fans as he tours the convention circuit. “I’m very popular in this room. I’m not very popular in Hollywood,” he said. “Two totally different microcosms, right? And so, you know, it’s humbling, and it hurts.”

On social media, Lillard’s backers were “hella angry” as they leapt to his defence.

“I will scream from the rooftops about how Matthew Lillard is the nicest famous person I’ve ever met,” one fan wrote, with another adding, “Can we also defend Matthew Lillard from Quentin Tarantino’s bull*** because what did he do to you bro??? He’s talented. He’s kind. He actually cares about people. And he isn’t a d*** like you, Tarantino.”

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Who stood up for Dano?

Following Tarantino’s rant, several big Hollywood names rushed to back Dano’s work in front of the camera.

“(I don’t know) man I think Paul Dano is an incredible actor,” Kim’s Convenience actor Simu Liu tweeted.

Matt Reeves, who directed Dano as the Riddler in 2022’s The Batman, also weighed in on X, writing, “Paul Dano is an incredible actor, and an incredible person.”

Ben Stiller, who worked with Dano on the 2018 miniseries Escape at Dannemora, called the actor “f***ing brilliant.”

The Batman Part II co-writer Mattson Tomlin said he was “pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano.”

“Not only is he a terrific actor, but he’s an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy. Check out Wildlife if you haven’t seen it,” Tomlin shared on X.

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Co-star Colleen Foy also disputed Tarantino’s dislike of his performance in the Oscar-winning film.

“Paul Dano and I played brother and sister in THERE WILL BE BLOOD,” Foy wrote on Threads. “His incredible performance speaks for itself. I sat behind Quentin Tarantino at the Cast & Crew screening and he was legit vibing with Paul’s performance. His recent comments are incongruent with his reaction that night.”

On social media, Dano’s legion of fans also praised his work and the variety of different roles he’s taken on.

“It’s one thing to dislike Dano’s performance but to go after him like this is so over-the-top,” one person wrote on Reddit, with another adding on X, “I love how we can all collectively agree that Tarantino’s statement was bulls***.”

Tarantino’s Wilson slam didn’t generate as much online debate, however one passionate fan declared on X: “Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen (in Pixar’s Cars trilogy) had a bigger cultural impact than anything Quentin Tarantino will ever have.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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