Last year, Quentin Tarantino shared some vile insults toward actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard (mostly a string of criticisms of their acting abilities), with most of the internet coming not only to their defense but putting the filmmaker on blast for such a lapse of judgment, making those opinions needlessly public. Tarantino’s former “From Dusk Till Dawn” co-star George Clooney is joining that chorus, putting him on blast, stating he’d be “honored” to work with them and adding that Tarantino’s comments skew in the realm of “cruel.”
“By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored,” Clooney said during his acceptance for his Best Actor award for “Jay Kelly” at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday (via Variety).
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Also describing “Jay Kelly” as a film being “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 , and I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel…We are living in a time of cruelty,” he continued. “We don’t need to be adding to it.”
Clooney and Tarantino once played the violent bank-robbing Gecko Brothers in the Robert Rodriguez-directed vampire flick (co-written by Tarantino), so he certainly has a history with the fellow director. Putting a little weight behind his counter to Tarantino’s comments to his criticisms, by having that established working relationship.
One could make the case that since Clooney is gearing up to shoot “Ocean’s 14“ (we’re still waiting on confirmation of who exactly is directing it) in October, that could be a perfect opportunity to possibly offer Pano, Wilson, and Lillard minor/supporting parts or cameos in the heist flick, as the franchise is known for having actors playing themselves in various Las Vegas scenes.
That said, George Clooney being protective of fellow actors rather than shelling out tasteless barbs echoes an extra level of professionalism that Tarantino seems to be lacking. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but you know the old adage, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.”
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