Highlights
- Clooney spoke at AARP’s Movies for Grownups awards on 10 January
- He defended actors criticised by Quentin Tarantino
- Tarantino made the remarks on a podcast in December 2025
- Clooney said public cruelty should not be encouraged
Clooney speaks out
George Clooney has voiced support for actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard after they were harshly criticised by Quentin Tarantino last month.
Speaking at AARP’s Movies for Grownups awards on 10 January, Clooney said he would be “honoured” to work with all three. He added that he does not enjoy seeing people treated cruelly.
“We are living in a time of cruelty,” Clooney said. “We don’t need to be adding to it.”
He also spoke about his new film, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, calling it a project made by people who love actors. Clooney said most of the people closest to him are actors and that he feels a strong bond with them.
What Tarantino said
In December 2025, Tarantino appeared on Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast and criticised Dano, Wilson, and Lillard.
Talking about There Will Be Blood, Tarantino said the film would rank higher on his list of the best films of the century if not for what he called a “big, giant flaw” — Paul Dano. He described Dano as “weak sauce” and said he had never enjoyed any of his performances.
Tarantino also said he did not care for Owen Wilson or Matthew Lillard.
The comments sparked widespread backlash across the industry.
Support for Dano
After Tarantino’s remarks, several of Dano’s colleagues spoke out in his defence. Ben Stiller, Batman director Matt Reeves, and others praised his work.
Daniel Day-Lewis’s representatives said he agreed with a fan post describing Dano as “one of the best and most talented actors of his generation.”
Lillard responds, Wilson stays silent
Matthew Lillard later spoke about how Tarantino’s words affected him, saying they hurt and were damaging.
He said such comments would not be aimed at Hollywood’s biggest stars, adding that while he is popular with fans, he does not hold the same power in the industry.
Owen Wilson has not publicly responded.
A complicated past
Clooney and Tarantino worked together on Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn, but have not collaborated since.
Their relationship has not always been smooth. Last year, Clooney said he was irritated after Tarantino suggested in an interview that he was not a “movie star.”
Despite that history, Clooney made it clear where he stands now: he would gladly work with the actors Tarantino criticised — and believes there is no need for more cruelty in public life.
