Paging George Clooney.
The “Jay Kelly” star, 64, didn’t hold back when it came to defending fellow actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard after they were criticized by director Quentin Tarantino last month.
“By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored,” Clooney said while at the AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday.
The “ER” alum said “Jay Kelly,” the movie he won best actor for during the award ceremony, 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 are living in a time of cruelty,” added Clooney. “We don’t need to be adding to it.”
Clooney and Tarantino, 62, previously starred in 1996’s horror-crime “From Dusk Till Dawn” together.
While on “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” in December, Tarantino made a series of harsh remarks about some of Hollywood’s top talent.
The “Pulp Fiction” director said Dano, 41, is “the weakest f–king actor in SAG.”
Tarantino explained that the 2007 period piece, “There Will Be Blood,” which starred Dano and Daniel Day-Lewis, wasn’t as great as it could have been because of Dano.
“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander,” he divulged. “He is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister.”
“Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role,” Tarantino continued. “[Dano is] just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy.”
Butler, 34, was just 16 years old when “There Will Be Blood” was released while Dano was 23.
During the interview, Tarantino also stated: “I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.”
However, Dano’s fans soon came to the actor’s defense.
“Quentin Tarantino could not be more wrong about Paul Dano if he tried,” one social media user wrote on X.
“Tarantino’s statement on Paul Dano is wrong on so many levels,” a second person tweeted. “He holds himself strong opposite a legend like DDL, he crafts rich character but also two different characters. It’s one of the great performances. It really is.”
A third person chimed in, “Paul Dano is a more talented actor than 99% in SAG rn. Eli Sunday and the Riddler r two of the most charismatic and captivating villains of the century. Sometimes I wonder how the hell Tarantino’s movies r so good.”
Lillard, 55, meanwhile, addressed Tarantino’s claims that same month.
“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor,” the “Scream” star said at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio, at the time.
“Eh, whatever. Who gives a s–t,” Lillard said.
But Tarantino’s comments still offended the “Scooby-Doo” actor.
“It hurts your feelings. It f–king sucks,” he said. “And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”
“I’m very popular in this room. I’m not very popular in Hollywood,” Lillard went on. “Two totally different microcosms, right? And so, you know, it’s humbling, and it hurts.”
