Benedict Cumberbatch, star of theNetflixfilmThe Power of the Dog, has come to the defense of the Oscar-nominated film following harsh comments made by fellow actor, Sam Elliott.
Netflix’sThe Power of the Doghas earned 12 Academy Award nominations this year,including Best Pictureand Best Director. Cumberbatch received a nomination for Best Leading Actor for his role in the film, and Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee also received nominations for their supporting roles.
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Elliott previously spoke harshly aboutThe Power of the Dogand its director Jane Campion’s Western label, and the “allusions of homosexuality"withinThe Power of the Dog. During aFilm Sessionsinterview, Cumberbatch responded to Elliott’s harsh review of the film by tackling some of the larger issues surrounding comments like Elliott’s. “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 this massive intolerance within the world at large towards homosexuality and still toward an acceptance of the other and anything kind of difference,” Cumberbatch said. He went on to say that expectations of what a man within a Western genre would do or how he would act, isn’t entirely dependent on Phil. “It’s not a history lesson,” Cumberbatch said.
As a guest on Marc Maron’sWTFPodcast, Elliott voiced his distaste for Campion’sThe Power of the Dog. He took issue with the way the actors were dressed (going as far to compare them to Chippendale dancers), the Montana setting (despite being filmed in New Zealand), and its overall lack of articulation of the Western genre. Elliott went on to criticize the “allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie,” which he remarked were particularly evident through the way Campion dressed the cowboys in the film.
Cumberbatch acknowledged that he hadn’t listened to Elliott’s words for himself, but that didn’t stop him from taking a moment to delve into the complicated character of Phil and the responses people may have to the character. “These people still exist in our world,” Cumberbatch said. “Whether it’s on our doorstep or whether it’s down the road or whether it’s someone we meet in a bar or pub or on the sports field, there is aggression and anger and frustration and an inability to control or know who you are in that moment that causes damage to that person and, as we know, damage to those around them.”
Cumberbatch’s comments are not only a response to Elliott’s comments but of course, a larger discussion of queer characters and how they are portrayed in film and treated in the real world.The Power of the Dogis certainly not the only queer Western, as Ang Lee’sBrokeback Mountainwas subjected to criticism despite the success the film saw. In 2006,Brokeback Mountaintook home 3 Academy Awards, including Best Director. This year,The Power of the Dogmay repeat history and continue to push back against critics.
