Earlier, we reported about director Quentin Tarantino criticising actor Paul Dano, putting him down for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Speaking on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino said that Dano is a "weak" actor and an "uninteresting guy". Tarantino's criticism notwithstanding, Dano's performance in the film received mostly positive feedback from audiences and critics, who took note of his ability to hold his own against a formidable performer such as Daniel Day-Lewis.

In a recent appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, which screened his film Little Miss Sunshine, Dano opened up about the controversial comments by the Pulp Fiction filmmaker. The actor thanked audiences from all over the world and film fraternity members for backing him amid the criticism. "I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I did not have to," Dano told Variety.

Also speaking up for Paul Dano against Tarantino were his Little Miss Sunshine co-star Toni Collette and directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. Collette said that Tarantino must have been out of his mind when he made the "confusing" comments about Dano. "Who does that?," she said in a rhetorical manner. At the same time, Little Miss Sunshine directors Dayton and Faris threw their weight behind Dano amid the criticism he faced. Dayton described Tarantino's views embarrassing and said, "I can only think that his rawness of his performance made Tarantino uncomfortable." On the other hand, Faris said, "You know what was interesting was the people coming out to defend Paul. There was immediately… he is loved by so many. He is so smart."

After Tarantino made the said comments, many from Hollywood, including Alec Baldwin and George Clooney, supported Dano. Clooney suggested that Tarantino was "cruel" to Dano, whereas Baldwin gave a more cryptic response while defending the actor.