Kodi Smit-McPhee has responded to Sam Elliott’s criticism of The Power Of The Dog.
Earlier this month Elliott made a dig at the “allusions of homosexuality” in Jane Campion’s Oscar-nominated film. He compared the film’s characters to Chippendales dancers who “wear bowties and not much else”.
But when Marc Maron, whom Elliott was speaking to on the WTF podcast, noted that homosexuality is “what the movie’s about” (Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Phil, a sexually repressed ranch owner), Elliott criticised Campion’s interpretation of the American west.
Describing her as “a brilliant director” before making his point about the “piece of shit” film, Elliott said: “What the fuck does this women 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.”
Now, Smit-McPhee, who portrays young aspiring medic Peter in the film – and who is the suggested love interest of Phil – has reacted to Elliott’s comments.
The Australian actor told Variety that he has “nothing” to say about Elliott’s digs “because I’m a mature being and I’m passionate about what I do, and I don’t really give energy to anything outside of that.
“Good luck to him,” he added in the on-camera interview.
Kodi Smit-McPhee's response to Sam Elliott's criticism of #ThePowerOfTheDog? "Nothing. 'Cause I'm a mature being and I'm passionate about what I do. And I don't really give energy to anything outside of that." https://t.co/Ga9t3fqQgc pic.twitter.com/csAaXI25N0
— Variety (@Variety) March 8, 2022
Meanwhile, Cumberbatch has also responded to Elliott’s remarks, calling the whole situation “very odd”.
“I’m trying very hard not to say anything about a very odd reaction that happened the other day on a radio podcast over here,” he said [via Digital Spy].
Cumberbatch addressed his character in the film: “These people still exist in our world. 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.
“There’s no harm in looking at a character to get to the root causes of that. This is a very specific case of repression, but also due to an intolerance for that true identity that Phil is that he can’t fully be.”
He concluded: “The more we look under the hood of toxic masculinity and try to discover the root causes of it, the bigger chances we have of dealing with it when it arises with our children.”
The post Kodi Smit-McPhee on Sam Elliott’s ‘The Power Of The Dog’ criticism: “Good luck to him” appeared first on NME.
