George Clooney backs Paul Dano and Owen Wilson following “cruel” Quentin Tarantino criticism
George Clooney has thrown his support behind actors including Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard, after they were scathingly criticised by Quentin Tarantino.
The actor was accepting his award at the AARP Movies for Grownups ceremony over the weekend, where he won for his role in Jay Kelly. However, Clooney decided to use his speech to highlight the names of actors he would like to work with.
Following some controversial comments from Tarantino last month, where he criticised Dano, Wilson, and Lillard, many have shown their backing for the stars, which now includes Clooney.
“By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honoured to work with those actors. Honoured,” he said during his speech on January 10th, via Variety.
He added that Jay Kelly was “made by people who love actors — that’s an important part. People I’ve known most of my life… actually, most of them are actors. I have a great affinity [for them], and I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel,” making a subtle jibe at Tarantino.
Clooney emphatically signed off his speech by saying: “We are living in a time of cruelty. We don’t need to be adding to it.”
Tarantino hit the headlines in December last year after appearing on the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he listed his favourite movies but also called Dano “the weakest fucking actor in SAG,” said he “can’t stand” Wilson, and also feels similarly about Lillard.
Clooney’s subsequent support of the actors comes as little surprise given that he has had his own run-ins with Tarantino in the past, as the director claimed in 2024 that the actor “wasn’t a movie star”.
The Hollywood stalwart responded in an interview with GQ at the time, where he said: “Quentin said some shit about me recently, so I’m a little irritated by him.”
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