It took a long time, but now actor Sam Elliott (77) has apologized to director Jane Campion (67) and all the cast for his controversial comments about the Oscar-nominated “The Power of Dog.” According to Elliott, Campion, who won an Academy Award for “Best Director” for the West in late March 2022, is a “brilliant filmmaker,” he said at Sunday’s “Deadline Opponents” event. He also wanted to apologize to Benedict Cumberbatch (45) in particular. “I can only say that I am very sorry.”
Elliott continues, “I’ve said things that have hurt people. I feel awful about it. The LGBT community has been a tremendous support throughout my career.” He deeply regrets hurting these friends “and everyone else with the words I chose.”
I left it out of the skin
Ahead of this year’s Academy Awards, Elliott was suspiciously disturbed by the West’s quiet, calling it a “piece of bullshit” and making derogatory remarks about Campion and homosexuality portrayed in the film. The star of many Westerns, for example, has said that a native New Zealander has no idea what the American West is.
Campion was hard on Elliot after that rant. Speaking at the Directors Guild of America Awards, she said of his comments: “He’s not a cowboy, he’s an actor. The West is a legend that must be debunked.” His views were also described as “misogynistic” because Elliot never denied the legitimacy of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns due to the director’s origins.
The Netflix movie “The Power of the Dog” has set itself the task of tackling toxic masculinity – in a Western setting.
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