Benedict Cumberbatch has addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding his acclaimed film, The Power of the Dog. Hollywood veteran Sam Elliott recently ignited a storm, calling the film a "piece of sh*t" and slamming its "allusions to homosexuality." Elliott also took offense to director Jane Campion, a New Zealand native, making a movie about the American West and filming it outside the U.S.A. Here is an excerpt from Elliott’s profanity-laden conversation on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast:
"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**king rubbed me the wrong way, pal."
Benedict Cumberbatch recently appeared for a BAFTA Film Sessions interview with fellow nominee Stephen Graham. In the hour-long interview, Cumberbatch also talked about Elliott’s reaction to The Power of the Dog. While he didn’t name any names, Cumberbatch made it clear who he was talking about.
"I’m trying very hard not to say anything about a very odd reaction that happened the other day on a radio podcast over here without meaning to stir up the ashes of that. I don’t want to get into the details of it … but somebody really took offense to — I haven’t heard it so it’s unfair for me to comment in detail on it — to the West being portrayed in this way."
"And beyond that reaction — that sort of denial that anybody could have any other than a hetero-normative existence because of what they do for a living or where they’re born, there’s also a massive intolerance within the world at large towards homosexuality still, towards an acceptance of the other, of any kind of difference, and no more so I guess than in this prism of conformity of what’s expected of a man in the Western archetype mold of masculinity. So I think to deconstruct that through Phil, to look at that, it’s not a history lesson."
The Power of the Dog Could Earn Benedict Cumberbatch His First Best Actor Oscar
Benedict Cumberbatch is the front-runner for the Best Actor Oscar for The Power of the Dog, and this controversy Elliott has ignited may play in favor of the Doctor Strange star, given that all publicity is good publicity.
The Power of the Dog deals with the themes of toxic masculinity and repressed sexuality, and the entire cast and crew have been talking about it since the film’s announcement. And like Cumberbatch said, it's not a "history lesson." Plus, The Power of the Dog isn’t the first movie featuring gay cowboys. Brokeback Mountain did just that back in 2005, and it too received similar reactions upon its release but is now considered one of the best movies of the century. And like Brokeback Mountain, The Power of the Dog is adapted from an existing work of fiction written by a renowned American author: Thomas Savage, who was himself a closeted gay man. Cumberbatch further addressed the theme of toxic masculinity in The Power of the Dog, saying:
"These people still exist in our world — whether its on our doorstep or whether it’s down the road … there’s aggression and anger and frustration and an inability to control or know who you are in that moment that causes damage to that person … and damage to others around them. I think there’s no harm in looking at a character to try and get to the root causes of that."
The Power of the Dog is nominated for 12 Academy Awards. It remains to be seen how the Netflix production will fare. Co-hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall, the 94th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 27, 2022.