Matthew Lillard Challenges Quentin Tarantino’s Latest Comments
Quentin Tarantino’s latest swipe at actors sparked a backlash — and now Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 star Matthew Lillard says the remarks cut deep, opening up about why they stung and how he’s responding.
Quentin Tarantino set the internet on fire this week with some blunt takes about a few actors. Now Matthew Lillard has responded, and it is exactly the mix of self-deprecating, funny, and honest you probably expect from him.
What kicked this off
On Bret Easton Ellis's podcast, the 'Pulp Fiction' director took aim at multiple performers, including Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard. The Dano part is what really detonated online: Tarantino dismissed Dano's work in 'There Will Be Blood,' said Austin Butler would have been better in the role, and essentially branded Dano the weakest, most uninteresting option in the guild, laughing as he said it. You can guess how that went over on the internet.
- Where it happened: Tarantino's comments came on 'The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.'
- Who he named: Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard.
- The flashpoint: His takedown of Dano in 'There Will Be Blood' drew heavy backlash across social platforms.
- The first response from the actors: Lillard addressed it live at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio.
Lillard answers back (and keeps it real)
Lillard, who is in 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' and of course 'Scream,' was the first of the named actors to say anything publicly. On stage at GalaxyCon Columbus, he told fans he heard Tarantino does not like him as an actor and shrugged with a basically 'who cares' vibe. Then he got candid about how it actually feels when a filmmaker that big says it out loud.
'Listen, the point is that hurts your feelings. It f***in' sucks. And you wouldn't say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn't say that to somebody who's a top-line actor in Hollywood.'
He went on to explain that he is beloved in fan spaces like the one he was in that day, but he is not exactly on Hollywood's A-list — two different worlds, and that contrast is humbling. The room appreciated the honesty; the reaction to his comments at the con was overwhelmingly positive.
The broader fallout
Tarantino's podcast detour drew swift, widespread pushback online, with many calling the Dano take unfair and way off base. The debate is still rolling on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit. Expect more folks to weigh in — this kind of industry-specific pileup tends to spiral until everyone gets their say.