After Sam Elliott publicly criticized the Oscar-winning film “The Power of the Dog“, he apologized for his statements.
“I told the WTF podcaster that I think Jane Campion is a brilliant director, and I want to apologize to the cast of ‘The Power of the Dog,’ brilliant actors,” the 77—year-old “A Star Is Born” actor told Deadline Contenders TV. the event is on Sunday, April 10. “And in particular: Benedict Cumberbatch, I can only say that I am very sorry, and I am sorry.”
He continued: “I didn’t say it very clearly. …And I said something that hurt people, and I feel terrible about it. The gay community has been incredible to me throughout my career. And I mean my whole career, before I started working in this city. Friends at all levels and in all job descriptions up to today. I’m sorry that I hurt any of these friends and the one I loved. And any other words I used.”
The California native, who appeared at Sunday’s event with his colleagues from the 1883 film, noted that the 2021 film “resonated with me.”
Elliott hit the headlines earlier this year after criticizing the portrayal of cowboys in the film.
“They run around in pants and without shirts. There are all these hints of homosexuality throughout the film,” the Parks and Recreation participant said on the February 28 episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, calling the actors Chippendale dancers who “wear bow ties and nothing else.” remove the “piece of shit” entirely.
He also mentioned the 67-year-old director’s choice to shoot the film in her native New Zealand and Cumberbatch’s starring role as rancher Phil Burbank.
“Cumberbatch never got out of his damn guys. He had two pairs of guys: wool and leather,” Elliot said during an appearance on the podcast, referring to the 45-year-old “Doctor Strange” actor. A horse, maybe once—he’ll go into the damn house, run up the damn stairs, lie down in his bed in his pants and play the banjo. What the hell?”
The film, which received 12 Oscar nominations and Campion’s directorial win, follows Phil Burbank in rural 1920s Montana as he teaches his brother’s new wife and her son how to run the family farm. Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Cody Smith-McPhee also star.
Since then, the cast and creative time of the film have openly defended the western-inspired film.
“In addition to this reaction, this kind of denial that someone can have any other existence than heteronormative, because of what they do for a living or where they were born, there is also a massive intolerance in the world as a whole to homosexuality so far and to the acceptance of the other and any differences”, — said the graduate of “Sherlock” in a March interview with BAFTA Film Sessions. “No more than in this prism of conformity of what is expected of a man in the Western archetype of masculinity. Sorting it out through Phil is not a history lesson.”
