In the first scene, wealthy cattle rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) cakes himself in mud before diving into the river to bathe himself. It seems counterintuitive, but it's an embrace of the life he reveres so intensely: dirty, messy, masculine, salt-of-the-earth all-American.

Why did Phil cover himself in mud?

When Phil isn't oiling Bronco Henry's saddle, he's covering himself in mud and skinny dipping in a secret part of the ranch, where he has hidden away body building magazines. His fur chaps give him the appearance of a man who is half beast.

Why does Phil not wash in power of the dog?

'The Power of the Dog': Benedict Cumberbatch Didn't Bathe and Gave Himself Nicotine Poisoning 3 Times to Play Phil Burbank.