George Clooney Fires Back After Quentin Tarantino Snubs Paul Dano and More

Alright, so if you’ve managed to dodge Quentin Tarantino’s latest blunt-force hot take, let me catch you up—because George Clooney just weighed in, and it’s honestly kind of refreshing.

The Setup: Tarantino Runs His Mouth (Again)

Tarantino never really cares if he gets people riled up, and this time he took direct aim at Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard. On a recent podcast, he actually called Dano 'the weakest f**king actor in SAG' (yes, really), said he 'can’t stand' Owen Wilson, and basically dismissed Lillard altogether.

Not surprisingly, plenty of people jumped in to defend that trio—none of them exactly slouches when it comes to acting gigs. This controversy has been ping-ponging around Hollywood all week, so it was only a matter of time before someone heavyweight piped up.

Clooney Throws Down the Charm

Enter George Clooney, who picked up the Best Actor award at the AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday (yes, that’s a real, pretty lovely thing). Instead of ignoring the elephant in the room when he took the mic, Clooney straight up told the crowd:

'By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored.'

Not exactly a reply full of daggers—but Clooney rarely does direct insult. In typical fashion, he continued talking up the movie he was being honored for ('Jay Kelly'), making a not-so-thinly-veiled point about just, you know, liking actors instead of trashing them:

'The film 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. We’re living in a time of cruelty. We don’t need to be adding to it.'

This Isn’t Their First Tiff

If you’re thinking, 'Wait, does Clooney have any sort of beef with Tarantino?'—well, yes. In 2024, Tarantino decided to throw a jab at Clooney, saying he wasn’t a real 'movie star.' (For real, QT has been on an all-caps opinion tour this year.) Clooney’s response in GQ was that he was 'a little irritated' about it, which is kind of the most Clooney response possible.

Controversy, Cast List, and Hollywood Drama (A Quick Breakdown)

• The Tarantino Quotes: Called Dano 'the weakest f**king actor in SAG,' said 'can’t stand' Owen Wilson, and shrugged off Lillard.
• Clooney’s Take: Big public defense of all three, praising actors in general, calling out unnecessary 'cruelty.'
• Recent History: Tarantino already bashed Clooney earlier this year (said he wasn’t a movie star); Clooney mostly played it cool.
• Current Buzz: Most people disagree with Tarantino’s harsh verdicts (and really, his beef with Owen Wilson is bizarre—who gets worked up over Owen Wilson?!).

To sum it up: while Tarantino serves up hot takes left and right, Clooney seems pretty content just appreciating his colleagues and reminding everyone that being mean just for the sake of it is getting old. And based on crowd reactions at the Grownups’ Awards, the room was definitely Team Clooney.