Sam Elliott issues apology to 'Power of the Dog' team over 'homophobic' comments on film

As Sam Elliott recently made some controversial comments about the 2021 western psychological drama movie, The Power of the Dog while calling it a "piece of shit"  in an episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. The actor recently opened up about his comment during Deadline’s Contenders TV event where was promoting his Paramount+ series 1883 and mentioned how the movie struck a chord with him. 

Benedict Cumberbatch's The Power of the Dog is a western drama film written and directed by Jane Campion, based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The movie was released on Netflix on December 1 and received positive responses from critics and audiences alike who praised Campion's direction, the score, and the performances of the cast. The film stars also featured Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Sam Elliott apologises to The Power of the Dog makers

According to the interaction, Sam Elliott addressed his controversial comment on Benedict Cumberbatch's film, The Power of the Dog, and stated that he wasn't able to articulate how he liked the film while shedding light on how his statement hurt people. While adding how terrible he felt, he issued an apology directly to the gay community and mentioned how they had been incredible to him and his entire career even before he began his journey in the industry. 

He said, "And in trying to tell the guy, the WTF guy [Maron], how I felt about the film, I wasn’t very articulate about it. I didn’t articulate it very well. And I said some things that hurt people. And I feel terrible about that. And I’m sorry that I hurt any of those friends and someone that I love. And anyone else by the words that I used.”

Furthermore, Sam Elliott even added how he thought Jame Campion was a brilliant director while apologising to the entire cast of the film, especially Benedict Cumberbatch. “I also told this ‘What the F’ podcaster that I thought Jane Campion was a brilliant director, and I want to apologize to the cast of The Power of the Dog, brilliant actors, all. And in particular Benedict Cumberbatch. I can only say that I’m sorry and I am. I am,” he continued. 

Sam Elliott's comment on The Power of the Dog

It all began a month ago when Sam Elliott became a part of the WTF episode where he was asked how he liked the film, The Power of the Dog. While ridiculing the film, he exclaimed, "This is the guy that’s done Westerns forever. The evisceration of the American West. They made it look like — what are all those dancers that those guys in New York that wear bowties and not much else? Remember them from back in the day?” Moreover, he even commented on the appearance of the cowboys in the movie while stating that there were allusions to homosexuality throughout the film. He went on to comment on jane Campion's work as a director and stated, "What the f**k does this woman — she’s a brilliant director, by the way, I love her work, previous work — but what the f**k does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American West? And why in the f**k does she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say, ‘This is the way it was.’ That f***ing rubbed me the wrong way, pal. The myth is that they were these macho men out there with the cattle. I just come from f**king Texas where I was hanging out with families, not men, but families, big, long, extended, multiple-generation families that made their living and their lives were all about being cowboys.”

Image: AP