Benedict Cumberbatch is ready for a Western showdown.
During a March 4 BAFTA's Film Sessions event, the Power of the Dog actor addressed Sam Elliott's recent criticism of the film, which he called a "piece of s--t" last week on Marc Maron's WTF podcast.
"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," Benedict, 45, said, adding, "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."
Benedict, who portrays a gay man named Phil Burbank in the film, noted that it's important to include LGBTQ+ characters in the film because "these people still exist in our world."
He continued, "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."
However, Sam, 77, seemed to disagree with the direction the film took and he did not hold anything back as he shared his true feelings about The Power of the Dog. On the Feb. 28 episode of WTF podcast, the veteran Western actor compared the cowboy characters—played by Benedict, Kodi Smit-McPhee and others—to Chippendales dancers.
"That's what all these fucking cowboys in that movie looked like," the 1883 actor said. "They're running around in chaps and no shirts. There's all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie. Where's the Western in this Western?"