The Power of the Dog, a Western film by Jane Campion, this year’s Academy Award Best Director recipient, was subject to public scrutiny recently by actor Sam Elliott. Elliott, a seasoned Western actor in his own right, was being interviewed on a podcast where he went on to describe Campion’s project as “a piece of s**t” with “allusions to homosexuality” and continued to compare the actors that portrayed the cowboys to male strippers lacking clothing. Elliott ended his rant with a burning, “What the f**k does this woman from down there know about the American West?”, aimed for Campion, who is a native Kiwi.
Campion responded to Elliott’s statements, saying that he himself is no cowboy, he is an actor, and said how she found it miserable of him that he resorted to such inappropriate comments affecting many different communities. Faith Hill actually chimed in to attest to her co-stars character by describing him as someone who would apologize for his actions on set no matter how small the misstep.
Elliott in turn apologized for his comments, explaining how he genuinely believed Campion and the entire cast of the film was incredibly talented. In particular, Elliott apologized to the LGBTQ+ community who, he says, has supported him his entire career and feels “terrible” that he might have hurt anyone with his words.
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