Power of the Dog director Jen Campion garnered the full spectrum of internet love and hate over the weekend, first with her necessary quip about Sam Elliott, and then with an unnecessary quip about Venus and Serena Williams.
On Saturday, March 12, Campion was on the red carpet for the Directors Guild of America Awards when asked about some of the derogatory comments Elliot made about his film on Marc Maron's WTF podcast. Elliott – who has starred in his fair share of Westerns – criticized the film for being "allied to homosexuality", complaining about the costumes, and wondered, "Where's the Western in this Western?"
In response, Campion said that Elliot was "to be a diminutive of B-I-T-C-H", spelling out the word for added effect. "He's not a cowboy, he's an actor," she said. "The West is a mythical place and there's a lot of space on the border. I think it's a little bit sexist."
Alas, the good energy Campion received on Saturday went out the window on Sunday as he accepted the Best Director award at the Critics' Choice Awards. During his speech, Campion praised the nominees and winners in other categories, including Will Smith, who took home the Best Actor award for his turn in King Richard, the biopic about the father/coach of the Williams sisters. Campion then turned to his "fellow fellow" nominees in the Best Direction category, but it appeared he still had tennis on his mind as he remarked that all other Best Director nominees were male.
"Venus and Serena, you are such a miracle," Campion said. "However, you don't play against people like I have to."
Although Campion's comments seemed light-hearted and there was some cheering at the time, criticism intensified on social media. Campion was called out not only for unnecessarily dragging the Williams sisters into his speech, but for underestimating their achievements as black athletes in a sport that was dominated by white men. (Representatives for the Williams sisters did not immediately return a request for comment.)