Jane Campion calls Sam Elliott “sexist” following ‘The Power Of The Dog’ criticism
nme.comThe Power Of The Dog, labelling him “sexist”.Last month, the A Star Is Born actor took aim at the “allusions to homosexuality” in the Netflix film, as well as an LA Times article that talked about the “evisceration of the American myth”, and called the film “a piece of shit”.The Western film follows Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, a sexually repressed ranch owner, and his fraught relationship with his brother (Jesse Plemons), his brother’s new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).During Elliott’s interview on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, the host noted that homosexuality is “what the movie’s about”, the actor going on to call Campion “a brilliant director”.However, Elliott then added: “What the fuck does this woman from down there [New Zealand] know about the American west?
Why the fuck did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana? And say this is the way it was? That fucking rubbed me the wrong way.”Responding to Elliott’s criticism, Campion told Variety: “I’m sorry, he was being a little bit of a B-I-T-C-H.
He’s not a cowboy; he’s an actor. The West is a mythic space and there’s a lot of room on the range. I think it’s a little bit sexist.”The director went on to note: “When you think about the number of amazing Westerns made in Spain by [director] Sergio Leone.
I consider myself a creator. I think he thinks of me as a woman or something lesser first, and I don’t appreciate that.”Cumberbatch has also responded to Elliott’s words, calling his criticism “very odd” while going on to speak about his character in the film.“These people still exist in our world,” he said (via Digital Spy).
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