Benedict Cumberbatch Responds to Sam Elliott's Criticism of Gay Cowboys in 'Power of the Dog'

"The Power of the Dog" star Benedict Cumberbatch is responding to the recent remarks made by actor Sam Elliott on Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast, where he complained about Jane Campion's Oscar contender over its "allusions of homosexuality."

According to Digital Spy, Cumberbatch spoke during the BAFTA's Film Sessions Friday and addressed the "A Star is Born" actor's harsh comments on the film, which he also called "a piece of shit."

"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," Cumberbatch said after being asked why it is relevant to explore characters like the one he plays in "The Power of the Dog."

"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," Cumberbatch said.

"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," he continued, adding there's "no harm in looking at characters 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," Cumberbatch, 45, went on to say, according to Digital Spy. "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."

Based on Thomas Savage's 1967 novel, "The Power of the Dog" is set in 1925 and follows intimidating rancher Phil Burbank (Cumberbatch) whose brother George Burbank (Jessie Plemons) marries a woman, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), who moves into the brothers' ranch along with her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The film is nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Appearing on Maron's Feb. 28 "WTF" episode, Elliott, 77, complained that the film depicted cowboys almost like Chippendales dancers wearing "bow ties and not much else."

"They're running around in chaps and no shirts," he said before going on to state the obvious: "There's all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie."

In response, Maron noted (as many listeners likely did), "that's what the movie is about." The character played by Smit-McPhee is mocked by ranch hands for seeming effeminate. The most brutal mockery comes from Cumberbatch's character, and it is strongly implied he is gay and closeted. Nevertheless, Elliott went on to complain that Cumberbatch "never got out of his fucking chaps." He also went on to call Campion a "brilliant director" but was not a fan that she filmed the movie in her native New Zealand despite it being set in Montana.

"What the fuck does this woman from down there know about the American West?" Elliott, who was born in Sacramento, California, said. "Why the fuck did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana?"