Actor Sam Elliott Decries 'The Power of the Dog' for Gay Themes

Western actor Sam Elliott has criticized the film "The Power of the Dog" for its "allusions to homosexuality."

Speaking with host Marc Maron on his "WTF" podcast posted Monday, Elliott ranted that "they're all running around in chaps and no shirts. ... There's all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the [expletive] movie."

The movie, directed by Jane Campion and filmed in New Zealand, stars British actor Benedict Cumberbatch as a closeted gay cowboy, which Elliott criticized as being in line with the movie's theme.

"What the [expletive] does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American West," Elliott said of Campion.

Elliott began his actor career in minor roles in films such as "The Way West" and "Butch and Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" before rising to prominence in projects such as the TV movie "The Quick and the Dead."

Elliott went on to criticize the location where the film was made, stating: "Why in the [expletive] does she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say, 'This is the way it was.' That [expletive] rubbed me the wrong way, pal."

"I just came from Texas where I was hanging out with families — not men — but families," the actor continued.

"Big, long, extended, multiple-generation families that made their living and their lives were all about being cowboys," Elliott said. "And boy, when I [expletive] saw that [movie], I thought, 'What the [expletive]? Where are we in this world today?"

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