Veteran actor Sam Elliott is apologizing for his rant about Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog that he made during an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast last month. The 1883 star, long known for his work in the Western genre, was asked about The Power of the Dog, which tells the story of a cowboy at odds with his own sexuality and masculinity. Elliott called it a “piece of sh*t” Western with “allusions of homosexuality.” Now, he’s offering an apology not just for the words, but for the pain the caused those involved.
Videos by ComicBook.com
On Sunday, Elliott took the stage with some of his 1883 co-stars for Deadline‘s Contenders TV event ahead of the upcoming awards cycle. He was asked if he had anything he wanted to say about his comments, and he responded with his first public comments in over a month.
“I wasn’t very articulate about it. I didn’t articulate it very well,” Elliott said. “And I said some things that hurt people and I feel terrible about that. The gay community has been incredible to me my entire career. And I mean my entire career, from before I got started in this town. Friends on every level and every job description up until today, with my agent. My dear friend, my agent for a number of years. I’m sorry I hurt any of those friends and someone that I loved. And anyone else by the words that I used.”
“I also told the WTF 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,” he added. “And in particular Benedict Cumberbatch. I can only say that I’m sorry and I am. I am.”
The issue that people took with the initial comments was the idea that a Western couldn’t be about a gay character. Last month, Cumberbatch addressed that idea and those comments when he was asked about it.
“Beyond that reaction, that sort of denial that anybody could have any other than a heteronormative 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 and toward an acceptance of the other and anything kind of difference… it’s not a history lesson,” Cumberbatch explained.
The Power of the Dog is available to stream on Netflix.
