Director Quentin Tarantino slams ‘The Hunger Games’ as a ‘rip-off’ of ‘Battle Royale’
Director Quentin Tarantino has accused the “Hunger Games” series of being a “rip-off” of the Japanese movie “Battle Royale.”
Banshaw Biz
Matthew Lillard has opened up about having his feelings hurt by director Quentin Tarantino, who recently named him one of his least favorite actors.
During an appearance at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” star, 55, responded to the “Kill Bill” filmmaker who criticized his performance on a podcast, according to a video shared on TikTok.
“Director Quentin Tarantino said this week that he doesn’t like me as an actor,” Lillard pointed out, drawing boos from fans.
After quelling boos, the “Scooby-Doo” actor explained that he was telling the story to make a point that he feels he’s not as popular in Hollywood as he is with fans.
“It hurts your feelings,” Lillard said. “…And he wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. He wouldn’t say that to an A-list actor in Hollywood. I’m very popular in this room. I’m not very popular in Hollywood. They’re two completely different microcosms. So it’s humbling and it’s hurtful.”
During the intermission, a fan in the room yelled “I love you,” to which Lillard responded, “Thank you.”
Tarantino made the comments on an episode of “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast,” naming his favorite movies of this century. The Pulp Fiction director placed Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood at No. 5 on his list, but said it would have been higher had it not been for a “major flaw”: Paul Dano’s performance opposite Daniel Day-Lewis.
“Obviously it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also clearly not a two-hander,” Tarantino said. “He’s a weak sauce, he’s a weak sister.”
Tarantino also claimed that Dano gave a “substantive performance” in the film, claiming that Austin Butler would have done a better job, and added that Dano was “the weakest male actor in SAG”. On the other hand, Tarantino also named two other actors he dislikes.
“I don’t care about him, I don’t care about Owen Wilson, I don’t care about Matthew Lillard,” Tarantino said.
Tarantino’s comments galvanized fans and some in Hollywood to rally behind Dano.
Director Matt Reeves, who co-starred with Dano in the film The Batman, did not address Tarantino’s comments, but instead addressed X, writing, “Paul Dano is a great actor and a great person.” Ben Stiller also posted that Dano was “amazing” in “X” and said Simu Liu was “a great actor.”
Fans have also expressed their support for Lillard, especially after hearing that they were hurt by Tarantino’s comments. Actress Gina Darling praised the Scream actor from X, calling him “insanely kind and incredibly talented,” while on TikTok, one fan commented: “I was furious about Paul Dano, but I didn’t think that included Matthew Lillard. Now I’m all over it.”
Lillard reprises his role as serial killer William Afton in the new horror sequel “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” which topped the box office this weekend. Speaking about the film in an interview with USA TODAY, he reflected on the career resurgence he’s been experiencing recently, including his upcoming return to the Scream series as Stu Matcher in Scream 7 and his role as Marvel in Daredevil: Born Again.
“It’s a gift to be able to come back so late in my life, even though I’m heading home and rounding second base in my career,” he said. “I don’t see them very often.”
