Complex sentence: Well known for his western work, "Night of the Lepus" put him in unfamiliar territory as it was his first science fiction role, however, he found familiarity in the Western film trappings and his role as a rancher.
Split into simpler sentences: Well known for his western work, "Night of the Lepus" put him in unfamiliar territory as it was his first science fiction role. However, he stated found familiarity in the Western film trappings and his role as a rancher.