Spoilers for The Power of the Dog.
Did y’all know that Sam Elliott spent his formative years in Sacramento and Portland, Oregon? WTF? I figured he was born on an Oklahoma ranch, in the dead of night, next to some cows. Sam’s family is originally from Texas, so that might explain his general “I’m a cowboy, g–damn it” energy. Anyway, Sam Elliott has spent much of his career playing cowboys, good ole boys and rednecks. He has strong opinions about cowboys and cowboy movies and the actors who play cowboys. And hoo boy, Sam Elliott did not care for The Power of the Dog. Sam spoke about the film on Marc Maron’s WTF pod.
Sam Elliott railed against Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” during his visit to Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast (via Insider). Campion’s drama is nominated for 12 Oscars, more than any film this year. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a sadistic rancher who makes life hell for his new sister-in-law and her son in 1925 Montana. Elliott called the film a “piece of shit” and seemed bothered by how the film deconstructs classic Western archetypes such as cowboys. Elliott compared Campion’s cowboys to Chippendale dancers who “wear bow ties and not much else.”
“That’s what all these f–king cowboys in that movie looked like,” Elliott said. “They’re running around in chaps and no shirts. There’s all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie.”
Cumberbatch’s character is a closeted gay man in the film. Maron told Elliott that these themes are “what the movie is about,” but Elliott remained critical of Campion’s approach to the Western genre.
“Where’s the Western in this Western?” Elliott asked. “I mean, Cumberbatch never got out of his f–king chaps. He had two pairs of chaps — a woolly pair and a leather pair. And every f–king time he would walk in from somewhere — he never was on a horse, maybe once — he’d walk into the f–king house, storm up the f–king stairs, go lay in his bed in his chaps and play his banjo. It’s like, what the f–k?”
Elliott said of Campion, “What the f–k does this woman from down there know about the American West? Why the f–k did 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.”
Elliott, who earned an Oscar nomination a few years back for his performance in “A Star Is Born,” added, “I just came from 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. And boy, when I f–king saw that [movie], I thought, ‘What the f–k? Where are we in this world today?’”
For what it’s worth, it’s not like Jane Campion pulled this story out of thin air. It’s based on a book (of the same name) by Thomas Savage, published in 1967. The allusions to homosexuality were basically all that a mainstream novel could get away with at that time. I actually thought they dealt with the homosexuality issue really well in the film, because it was honestly more about how menacing and damaged Phil was, not because he was a closeted gay man but because he was just a toxic, horrible man. I do wonder if Sam just thinks there are no gay cowboys? Does he believe closeted gay men can’t wear chaps around the house? What is the real criticism here and is it homophobic?? Or is he merely prejudiced against chaps-as-loungewear?
Incidentally, I enjoyed the movie and I think it’s deserving of its Oscar nominations, but I also don’t hate the fact that it’s getting snubbed. It’s a beautiful-looking film and the performances are good-to-great. But… other films were better.
Marc Maron: Did you see Power of the Dog, did you see that movie?
Sam Elliott: Yeah do you wanna talk about that piece of shit?
Marc: [ohh noo] You didn’t like that one?
Sam: Fuck no. pic.twitter.com/BGdOd6scwe— Jonathan (@jonathanmb32) February 28, 2022
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Netflix.
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- Actor Sam Elliott arrives at the Los Angeles Special Screening Of Netflix’s ‘All The Bright Places’ held at ArcLight Hollywood on February 24, 2020 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 563754369, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289 – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Sam Elliott attends the world premiere of “1883” at the Encore Beach Club at Encore Las Vegas on December 11, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada,Image: 647644309, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Sam Elliott, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Kanye West makes a statement to the media as he meets with United States President Donald J. Trump and Jim Brown in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, October 11, 2018. Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP | usage worldwide
He could have just said “ew gay” and been done with it.
A cis white man gate keeping? What a surprise!
Welp…He’s gross and ineloquent and narrow minded in the extreme!
Counter culture caregiver just loved this man in the 70s/80s & always went for the toxic male type.
He didn’t pick on Canadian filmed Brokeback because they were shepherds, he is strange and disappointing.
Yeah, this is exactly where I am too.
Hi I’m from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they filmed Brokeback Mountain. We have a huge western and cowboy community in southern Alberta. They film a lot of westerns out here. I don’t condone his anti-gay comments just saying maybe he was aware of our large ranching community- referring to his criticism of the director of the TPOTD being filmed in New Zealand saying she didn’t know any better.
His disgusting anti-gay and sexist comments are appalling. Also- doesn’t New Zealand have a ranching community- maybe it’s just Australia that does. Still- he should be aware that other places besides America have ranching culture- Brazil, Mexico etc….
I have admired Sam’s acting for over 40 years…but his ignorance and homophobic ranting regarding THIS was APALLING! The fact that the author of the book put a LOT of autobiographical elements in POD…that the author & his family CAME from that ranching background…and that human history is comprised of ALL sorts of psycho- social infrastructures …makes his rant even sadder…
And an actor bitching about location shooting venue choices…DURING A PANDEMIC …is also sad AF…one thing Jane Campion is gonna do is BE authentic…Sam comes off as bigoted…old…and a hater…what a WAY to sully a damn good reputation!
💯 this
Such a great actor, but this is when I know someone is getting too old. Just stop talking and keep doing whatever “authentic” cowboying you think you’re doing on set and maybe at home.
Leave the rest of us in peace. He could have just said, “Not my cup of tea, but congrats to everyone involved.”
@ Lemons – Too old for what?
Are you saying that he is old so he has become an intolerant asshole? I mean we are all aging, that doesn’t necessarily mean we suddenly become homophobic and intolerant. I’m sure these have always been his feelings toward homosexuality.
Age doesn’t make people homophobic and spiteful, he’s likely been that way all his life.
No kidding. Sam you are an actor too. You are also acting like a cowboy. Acting. Ac-ting!
I guess Sam doesn’t see the irony in everything he is saying….This movie is literally about closeted angry men and Sam? Well…Me thinks thou protests too much
Agree 100 percent.
I watch this film with my husband first, then we watched it with some of the queer kids in our family. We had a BLAST!!! The boys felt seen!!!
Fcuk Sam Elliot and his antiquated hate.
Count me in on agreeing entirely.
When I saw the title, I tried to hold out hope that it wasn’t going to be what I feared, but hope is often in vain.
Side note: this is rather ironic (or is it? Damn you, Alanis Morrisette!) coming from a man married to Katharine Ross, a.k.a. Etta Place in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Paul Newman and Robert Redford had some of the greatest chemistry in the history of cinema and pretty much spend most of the movie flirting, albeit (mostly) non-romantically.
A film, I might add, Sam Elliott himself had a bit part in. I can’t help but wonder where he draws the line between appropriate and inappropriate. Is it only when he’s not getting a paycheck?
💯 this was a sad bitter old white man being a bigot. It definitely makes me sad to see such ignorance from such a great actor.
Didn’t he also say he wasn’t vaccinated?
I think he forgot that he’s an actor, not a cowboy. Riding a horse and being proximate to cowboys does not make him one. I’d like to see him compare paychecks. If I were a cowboy, now THAT would rub me the wrong fking way.
Tell me you’re a homophobe without telling me you’re a homophobe.
FFS – *scratches another one off my list*
Sigh. My list is getting so small, too. *sob* Goodbye, Sam.
I love, love, love Sam Elliott but I am not going to scratch him off my list yet. This is just ONE instance that he was a prime pr!ck, so I can give him a pass. But his comments were unnecessary as well as unbecoming. Elliot should have just stated it wasn’t his cup of tea, and that’s it.
*picks up marker*
annnnnd ADIOS Sam Elliott….
BothSidesNow
Find his moaning about Broke Back Mountain about exactly the same stuff but he went easy on Ang because he was Thuderbolt Ross in Hulk
How exhausting.
The movie wasn’t my favorite for different reasons. I would need to read the book to get a feel for the actual story, but some elements felt lacking. But it gave me something to ponder on a weeknight, so that’s something.
The movie is so close to the book that it’s TRULY amazing…in terms of tone & atmosphere…the author dosen’t use a lot of dialog in his books and the screenwriter pulled most of the dialog straight from the novel…you get a little more context regarding the parents…but not a lot…what you see on the screen…you see reflected in the novel.
That is actually refreshing to see the novel so well-reflected in the film. But it’s true that I was just wanting to know more about these complicated characters, but we get these brief snippets. Definitely will add this to my book list now!
I actually haven’t watched it yet. But I am looking forward to it!!
I really loved this film. (spoilers)
To me, it was all about power and who wields it. At the end, I shouted, “OMG! He was the danger!!!!!” (fans of Breaking Bad will get this reference). The son was so greatly underestimated, by Batch’s character and by me the audience member. He used his observations and intelligence to lay a trap that the big mean tough guy didn’t see coming. The person we were afraid FOR, we should have been afraid OF. I looooooove the way the tension was handled made me so afraid for the son, and then it took the rug out from under me and showed me my own bias.
It reminded me of a song by Spoon:
“You have no fear of the underdog,
that’s why you will not survive.”
Reminds me of Putin/Ukraine too.
@Tiffany, I gave the movie a B, but that ending had me giving a standing ovation and an A+.
Putin/Ukraine is an excellent example. I see Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an example of a leader compared to a political. Putin braggadocio is just for show.
I fell asleep during the movie in both 1st & 2nd attempts, thinking maybe I should read book. Finally got thru movie on 3rd attempt. Sounds like movie is direct from book, except dancing scene with George and Rose. Ready to be sympathetic re: Phil, but completely over it when he starts beating horse. Come to think of it Elliott might be right about the lack of horses, esp when one of the few horse scenes is just to show Phil’s unbounded cruelty. Totally agree with Elliott about New Zealand; the mountains didn’t look like Montana.
Sam Elliott, thou doth protest too much. Movie genres are not cast in stone, the reason we love movies (and all forms of entertainment and art) is because each artist involved (director, actor, etc) get to put their creative energy and brilliance as a unique take on expressing the story told.
I read “Power of the Dog” before the movie was released (and it is a terrific read,) and Jane Campion’s movie is a beautiful, faithful retelling on screen, with the same ambiguous “omg, did that happen?” ending.
It was a cringe read and watch because of cruelty of the character Phil, and I though Benedict Cumberbatch was fantastic. All the cast, kudos.
My thing is that Cumby worked months to transform himself into a hardened cowboy (whittling, banjo playing, horseback riding), and I thought Will Smith was amazing in King Richard but I was more impressed by Cumby.
Also Sam Elliott is a crazy homophobe nut job. I always admired him as an actor, but dude, it’s 2022. Not 1922. Oh and there were gay cowboys then too. Also 1822. Do you find if people are confident in their own sexuality that they aren’t so terrified of homosexuality?
Seems like Sam thinks he owns the copyright to being a cowboy. A lot of people didn’t like the movie because it wasn’t Yellowstone 2.0. Instead, it was a gorgeously shot, beautifully crafted story representative of one person’s experience and one filmmaker’s vision. Why can’t Elliot handle that?
I’ve always liked Sam. Oh well into the trash bin he goes.
Ugh! 4th generation Montanan chiming in. Mr. Elliott would be surprised to know that the ranchers in my family never wore cowboy hats. Imagine that. My great grandfather and grandfather wore fedoras and only wore cowboy boots when they were riding. My grandfather was described as magic on horseback. And yes, I have photographic evidence of a great uncle in wooly chaps taken in the early 1900s. My mom still has them. Sam Elliott is a Hollywood cowboy, nothing more. So tedious.
My friends who ranch tend to wear Detroit Tigers ball caps. And don’t wear cowboy boots. Ropers, etc while working. Sam seems like the Charlie Russell fanboy type.Big hat, shiny bolo tie cowboy cosplay.
Thanks for the perspective, Skyblue.
White men like Sam must control everyone’s narrative. Just because a few of us recognize him doesn’t make him and expert on Cowboys. Hell, I grew up in Compton, CA, and there are small ranches with horses and Cowboys!! Who are BLACK. Is that okay, Sam Idiot? Should we expel them for not being like you?
don’t anyone tell him, he might have a heart attack. love the Black cowboys in California!
Has Sam ever seen Montana? Because the shots I’ve seen of the film look an awful lot like my former digs in MT.
Oh, Sam – no! This is very disappointing for I have loved you for so long. Alas, I must end it. It’s not me, it’s you.
“They’re running around in chaps and no shirts. There’s all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie.”
If I was Mark Maton I would’ve asked: “And what’s wrong with homosexuality?”
Guess he missed the part of the movie where Cumbys character has bought into the whole western myth of ‘tough guy’ as he’s not a rancher either. The character is a rich socialite family from Sacramento trying to buy into a image-not that he IS the image.
And oh no a movie shot on location because of Covid how dare they. 🙄
So, it’s Sam as a heterosexual.
No one tell my mother about this. She loves Sam. He’s cancelled for me.
I was a bit upset that they filmed in New Zealand and not Montana… But hello COVID. However, I was also upset that they filmed Hairspray in Canada and not in Baltimore. But what can you do?
Sam needs to retire.
That was just unnecessarily rude in addition to being latently homophobic and full of ‘merica energy. Gross.
Come on now. This is nothing but homophobia.
He doesn’t even have any real arguments, just rambling on and on embarrassingly. This was like an angry teenager’s outburst.
Bye Sam!
That’s the thing that struck me, it was just one big rambling rant, jumping from one thing to another, getting details wrong and presuming HE, SAM ELLIOT, White man who has played cowboys in film, tv is THE authority and gatekeeper of authentic movie cowboy-dom. Was he a rancher in Montana in the 1920’s? Has he seen all the silent movie cowboy pictures from that era? Did he completely miss that much of Cumberbatch’s character’s way of dressing, acting, talking is because Phil himself is playing a role,
hiding what really matters to him and the wearing of work clothes indoors is part of that … particularly when he’s making a point to the other characters.
It was just such a ridiculous over the top rant about everything. We get it Sam, they don’t make ‘‘em like they used to, womenfolk and outlanders have no business telling stories about ranchers and absolutely no cowboy ever in the history of manly cowboys was gay and no one can ever imply that they were. (Even though the guy who wrote the source book was). You probably want the lot of us to get off your lawn now too, And you’re just one get rich scheme away from being a stereotypical Scooby Do villain.
I read about cruelty and stupidity every day in the news. I must admit, I don’t want to watch a movie about a twisted sadist. I started it and stopped it. Mrs. Mauser and Ted Lasso are about my speed these days…
One thing I love about the movie is the justice doled out…Justice that I NEVA see happening in reality…and the novel of POD…let’s you see that Peter got justice…for BOTH his parents…and that’s the BIGGEST caveat that I got from reading the novel after seeing the movie….
Thanks, you convinced me to watch the rest of it then. (I can always fast forward extra painful parts!!).
Peter uses his smarts. I needed that release at the end.
I loved the movie. But the furry chaps did look weird. Maybe they wear those in Montana?
Commenting from Montana. Yes, they really did wear the furry chaps.
I think he took issue (I’m guessing?) with the fact that cowhands need chaps to protect their legs in work with livestock and in rough terrain with thorns, brambles, cactus, etc. They don’t wear them in the ranch house or when not needed.
The movie is fantastic. All three leads are really good. Disagree with Elliot.
Old man shouting into the wind. Too bad, I used to kind of like him.
I mean, if he wanted accuracy in movie cowboys, he’d be outraged at how white they are when real cowboys were mostly black and Hispanic.
After all the pre-release hype, I was disappointed. Ben’s accent was off & thus jarring. Many Brits default to quasi-Southern accents because it’s the easiest of US regionals to do.
There’s so much hate & meanness in the world now that I don’t need to see more of it for entertainment.
“I figured he was born on an Oklahoma ranch, in the dead of night, next to some cows.”
This quote is why I read this blog after all these years. Had me cracking up.
Jane Campion is a PHENOMENAL New Zealand director and has been underrated for YEARS. Just as Agnes Varda is a PHENOMENAL French director and Chantal Akerman is a PHENOMENAL Belgian director and Sally Potter is PHENOMENAL English director and Vera Chytilova is a PHENOMENAL Czech director. Women directors have so little chance of becoming iconic, revered geniuses or of being known at all, goddamnit. So Sam’s comments are not appreciated by me, especially during Women’s History Month.
I read about this in a different publication, and they quoted him slightly differently in the bit about Campion: “Well, what the fuck does this woman from down there – she’s a brilliant director – know about the American west, and why the fuck did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana? That fucking rubbed me the wrong way.”
It’s almost like he resents that Campion’s skill has brought attention to a story he doesn’t think should be told. Does he honestly think there were no gay people in Montana back in the day?
She probably knows as mutch as Leone and Fred Zinnemann did
So what did the Italian and the Austrian know ?
He’s homophobic. He would never be saying that if he weren’t a vicious bigot. Gay cowboys existed.
I will say, what I personally don’t like about this movie, despite its artistic brilliance and the probable good intentions of the director, crew, and cast, is that it used an old homophobic trope of making the gay man the villain, cruel and vicious. It reminds me quite a bit of Laura — a very different movie, but the same concept. Villainize the queer man, make sure he doesn’t survive the narrative. Reifying straight marriage, demonizing the lonely gay man (in fact since the teenage boy is also coded as queer, demonizing both gay/queer main characters). It made more sense when I realized this movie is based faithfully on a book from the ’60s.
As a queer woman I am just sick of movies that villanize queer people. It’s NOT the flex you think it is to have straight cis white men playact gay villains.
In addition . . . the animal cruelty shown was repulsive. My family comes from a long line of farmers in Michigan and my grandfather and godfather raised cattle for market, I was raised around that life, and glamorizing that is B.S. whether it’s coming from Sam Elliott or Jane Campion. No pun intended. I’m guessing this guy doesn’t really have much of a clue what’s involved.
I didn’t think the teenage boy was demonised – he seemed to be completely confident in his own skin and the viewer was encouraged to sympathise with his actions.
I saw the film, then read the book. The Phil character was based on the author’s step-uncle with whom he and his mother lived (or with whom they spent a lot of time as the family was close) after she got re-married to his stepfather, who is based on George, The book has a lot of autobiographical elements and the film is quite faithful to it and does a beautiful job bringing it to life.
As for demonizing the gay character, I didn’t really see it that way. Phil is cruel in part because he worked hard most of his life to be something he wasn’t, a tough hetero cowboy/rancher. He suppressed his feelings, and was denied love, or denied it to himself…..and to others. He was also brilliant, and arrogant, and just kind of a bastard. He felt superior to everyone but he also hated himself in a way. That’s a toxic combination and it lead to toxic behavior.
I also don’t see the son as a villain. Some seemed to think he had sociopathic tendencies, but I didn’t. Yes, he killed a rabbit. He did it so he could use it for his medical studies. My niece is a nursing student and she had to dissect a pig. That pig didn’t kill itself. They were on a ranch in rural Montana almost a century ago. Animals, alive or dead, were their currency. You notice there are dogs in the movie and no one is cruel to them. Of course these people would be a hardened to it when it came to the cattle.
I was cheering for the son, lol. Maybe I’m a sociopath. But I thought the movie was very good. Not perfect, but very good. And it led me to the book which I loved.
Also, Sam Elliot can bite me. What a homophobic wannabe blowhard.
Yeah, because there are no cowboys and wranglers in the vast New Zealand.😐
And even on the homophobic side, Sam is showing his ass on the lack of history and how culture vulture white people took over the history of cowboys, especially in Texas.
Sam Elliott’s Mustache better come get his boy.
lol
Sam Elliott’s Mustache better come get his boy.
I concur!
Anyone interested in all the receipts about how this kind of opinion about “the West” and cowboys became so entrenched on the right, check out Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s book “Jesus and John Wayne.” Holding up cowboys as masculine icons is tightly intertwined with far-right white evangelicalism.
Thanks for the book recommendation!
It is an extremely important book, and well-written! Very highly recommended.
The book/movie is amazing and I can’t believe that it was written in an even more homophobic time than now. So refreshing to see First Nations people, queer people, and women centered in a story. F off to Sam. Just f off. It aint about you!
Sounds like he’s got a hard-on for Cumberbuns.
This coming from the guy who did a faux-Wild West dance off with Lil Nas X to promote Cool Ranch Doritos….ok.
Well I don’t agree with him even though I found the movie boring. The worst was when Benedict Cumberbatch’s character hit that poor horse in the face. Animal abuse is never ok.
I read his interview last night as my insomnia meds were kicking in (Finally) and went to sleep wondering what movie Sam Elliott watched that had Bendy in a$$less chaps….and wondered if he’d send me a copy. Interesting dreams last night to say the least so I guess, thanks Sam?
Funny!
He also turned down a role in Yellowstone so that tells me NO ONE can win.
Do you hear that?
That’s the sound of his agent and his publicity people texting their resignation.
Daisies, directed by the Czech director Vera Chytilova, and Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce 1080, directed by Chantal Akerman, are both on the Criterion Channel. Vera Chytilova is a better director than Milos Forman, her countryman, in my opinion, and Jeanne Dielman is better than Citizen Kane, in my opinion also. I know as a white female my opinion doesn’t count at all compared to what a white male director would (say Francis Ford Coppola or Martin Scorcese), but let’s start seeing and appreciating the greatness of women directors for ourselves.
I lol’d reading this and I could not get through 45 mins of this movie. Sam E. maybe just solved this mystery for me: it has no time or place or concept. Like, these are supposed to be Americans? The landscape is weird and my husband who has lived in Colorado and Montana said he thought it was CGI. Sam E. is making this all make sense to me. I don’t know it was filmed in New Zealand. Montana is pretty empty- who not just film it there????
At a minimum, I need to know the nationality of any drama movie character to, you know, fill any gaps if the writing is lazy and the acting is bad (not saying either was the case with this movie). These characters just got dropped out of a spaceship into what appears to be a movie set created by people who have not seen the American West and were on a tight budget. Dialogue like “You won’t have a drink for the man who taught you all about ranch in’?” Cringe.
The homophobia he is spouting off about to me, isn’t coming off like it is his personal opinion; I think he is saying that it is over the top “this movie is a gay-themed movie!” BC is oozing closeted-gay-man (this is a compliment) so they didn’t need to go so overboard.
Anywho I can tell from the comments that I am in the minority here. I will just rent Broke Back mountain (filmed in NZ too I think, ha) if I need to see a movie about the cruelty of man to his fellow man.
Another triggered Texan white guy (once removed). They really hold in the crazy until they make bank, don’t they?
Extremely shallow comment here, but Sam Elliott would look MUCH better if he had his eyebrows trimmed a lot, and stopped dyeing them, so they’d match his hair more. When guys get old, their eyebrows can get super crazy; I trim my hubby’s.
Umm, I just double checked his photo. He needs to trim his mustache a bit too. It looks like a soup catcher when you’re as feeble looking as he is. (I say this factually as an old person myself.)
Things they have in New Zealand 1)horses ,sheep,cattle,ranches and ranch hands.2) gay people.Shut up Sam!!!
Many thanks to Sam Elliott for showing us more about himself 🙄
Oh, so he is just as he’s portrayed in those memes.
He’s reached that age where he could give a f about anyone and will say any crazy thing. I see this with patients where I work and in my own family.
You could have just journaled how you felt Sam and saved your legacy. Oh well, you never know how people really feel until they accidentally blurt it out. Especially celebs because they are such good actors with a pr machine.