‘It doesn’t mean it’s the truth’: Ethan Hawke puts Quentin Tarantino in his place after director’s vicious attack on Paul Dano

Ethan Hawke spoke up about Quentin Tarantino‘s harsh comments against actor Paul Dano. He turned the whole situation into a lesson about staying positive. Hawke joined the huge online debate that started after Tarantino shared his favorite movies from the 2000s and suddenly attacked Dano’s acting without warning. Hawke knows Tarantino well and used this moment to explain how directors think and how actors should deal with negative comments.

According to Daily Dot, Hawke talked about it on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He said Dano probably woke up one day to find a famous director saying mean things about him. But Hawke wasn’t too worried, saying that anyone who knows Tarantino knows he just talks a lot. He pointed out that something good came from it.

The best part, according to Hawke, was how many people showed love for Dano. “There’s a great lesson. You know what, I don’t think Paul Dano ever knew that so many people loved him,”  The Northman star said. 

The real story shows how much people actually respect Paul Dano

The drama started when Tarantino went on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast to list his top 20 movies from the 2000s. He praised films like Black Hawk Down, which he ranked first, and Toy Story 3, which came in second. Tarantino has strong opinions about which Pixar films work and isn’t shy about sharing them. But his comments about Paul Thomas Anderson’s film There Will Be Blood got everyone’s attention.

Tarantino ranked There Will Be Blood at number five but added a shocking complaint. He said the film could have been number one or two except for one big problem, and that problem was Paul Dano. Tarantino called Dano “weak sauce” and suggested that Austin Butler would have been better in the role. He even called Dano the weakest actor in SAG, which is the actors’ union.

Dano has a strong reputation in Hollywood, so people quickly defended him. He’s an award-winning actor known for taking on difficult roles. Fans, other actors, and directors all spoke up against Tarantino’s mean comments.

Hawke thinks Tarantino wasn’t really criticizing Dano himself. He believes Tarantino was talking about a different version of the movie that only exists in his imagination. Hawke said Tarantino was describing the movie he would have made, not the actual film. The director has his own favorite among his films and clearly has a specific vision for everything. Hawke is connected to Tarantino through his ex-wife Uma Thurman and knows how the director acts.

Hawke said that when people say hateful things, they’re usually talking about themselves. He admitted that some great directors probably think he’s a bad actor too. He reminded everyone that directors have strong opinions, and that’s normal. Hawke has worked with Dano on projects like True West and The Guilty and said he loves him. 

“He wouldn’t be a director if he wasn’t opinionated,” Hawk said about Tarantino’s perspective. “It doesn’t mean it’s the truth,” he concluded.