When asked why it was important to portray a character like Phil Burbank in modern media, Benedict Cumberbatch responded with a reference to Sam Elliott’s disparaging comments about “The Power of the Dog.” After mentioning the importance of identifying the poisons that lead to toxic masculinity, the “Sherlock” actor said, “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 continued, “Without meaning to stir over the ashes of that … someone really took offense to — I haven’t heard it, so it’s unfair for me to comment in detail on it — to the West being portrayed in this way. 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 a massive intolerance within the world at large towards homosexuality still.”
Similarly, the film’s director Jane Campion responded to Elliott’s comments in an interview with Variety, explaining that she felt the criticisms had a sexist undertone. She adds, “The West is a mythic space and there’s a lot of room on the range.”
Post source: The List