Actor Sam Elliott is facing backlash after a bizarre homophobic rant against the new Netflix film Power Of The Dog.
On Marc Maron's podcast, Elliott called the film, which has more Academy Award nominations than any other film this year, a "piece of sh*t."
He then launched into a tirade saying there were "allusions of homosexuality" throughout the film as well as the direction of Jane Campion.
Marc Maron: Did you see Power of the Dog, did you see that movie?\nSam Elliott: Yeah do you wanna talk about that piece of shit?\nMarc: [ohh noo] You didn\u2019t like that one?\nSam: Fuck no.pic.twitter.com/BGdOd6scwe— Jonathan (@Jonathan) 1646077555
Rest of the TPOTD convo:pic.twitter.com/JrcoUv3eRB— Jonathan (@Jonathan) 1646077732
Well it's good that he's being honest but it's weird to slam jane for being a new zealand and saying wtf to this "homosexual myth" because she was adapting a 1967 novel by an american western novelist, not that she was making up a story— Larry (@Larry) 1646094392
Elliott also criticized Campion's use of New Zealand as a stand-in for 1920s Montana, something she and her collaborators have been open about.
"Why in the f**k does 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, pal.”
Elliott's comments earned him swift backlash and callouts for being both sexist and homophobic, as well as ignorant.
Jane Campion: [makes movie about toxic masculinity, homophobia, fear of change]\n\nSam Elliott: Some people are confused what this movie is about. I will demonstrate!— Rebecca Keegan (@Rebecca Keegan) 1646165459
Sam Elliott watching Power of the Dogpic.twitter.com/Z1dk6fvXXC— Amber from Scream (2022) News & Updates (@Amber from Scream (2022) News & Updates) 1646156334
Sam Elliott is not anpic.twitter.com/CAq13QPxMg— samcorb (@samcorb) 1646154247
actual image of sam elliott leaving the theater after seeing the power of the dog and being sad because it was a lil gay and directed by a womanpic.twitter.com/LDLvPmNiIY— baja blasted 24/7 (@baja blasted 24/7) 1646150978
The Power Of The Dog is based on a 1967 novel by closeted gay author Thomas Savage who wrote several books about the American West.
The film starts Benedict Cumberbatch as a rancher who goes to great lengths to hide his homosexuality and ivy league education from fellow ranchers for fear of being a pariah.
sam elliott thought the power of the dog was the channing tatum movie— Carrie Wittmer \ud83e\udd87 (@Carrie Wittmer \ud83e\udd87) 1646152132
Twitter is so fucking woke and people are probably gonna jump down my throat, but whatever - I agree with Sam Elliott. There wasn't even one powerful dog in that movie, let alone a dog powerful enough to warrant naming the movie after it. Clifford should have been called The Powe— ian karmel (@ian karmel) 1646157729
Sam Elliott: there's all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie\n\nthe movie:pic.twitter.com/R6J9Cqdw2V— Michael Gold (@Michael Gold) 1646168733
I like Sam Elliott but someone probably needs to remind him he's an actor from Sacramento who lives in Malibu, not an actual cowboy— stuart (Lenten posting fast) (@stuart (Lenten posting fast)) 1646153142
Elliott also communicated his less-than-impressed take on Brokeback Mountain in 2006.
“The whole homosexual thing was interesting—they stepped over the line—but Katharine [Ross] and I both looked at it and thought, ‘what’s the big deal?’”
The entire interview on The Power OF The Dog is available here.
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