James Cameron is still not amused with Amy Poehler’s 2013 Golden Globes joke about his previous marriage to Kathryn Bigelow.
“Amy Poehler’s remark was an ignorant dig, at an event which is supposed to be a celebration of cinema and filmmakers, not a roast,” the Avatar director, 71, said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “I’m pretty thick-skinned, and happy to be the butt of a good-natured joke, but that went too far.”
Back in 2013, Poehler, now 54, cohosted the Golden Globes alongside Saturday Night Live costar Tina Fey. In their monologue, the comedians poked fun at several of the nominees, which included Bigelow. (At the time, Bigelow was nominated for Best Director for Zero Dark Thirty but lost to Ben Affleck, who won for Argo.)
“When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron,” Poehler quipped.
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While the dig occurred more than a decade ago, Cameron still feels hurt by it.
“The fact that people found it funny shows exactly what they think of me, even though they have no idea who I am or how I work,” Cameron shared with the outlet.
Cameron and Bigelow tied the knot in 1989. The pair split in 1991. Despite their divorce, Cameron and Bigelow remained amicable as they collaborated on multiple projects after parting ways, including Point Break and Strange Days.
In 2010, Cameron and Bigelow faced off at the Academy Awards. Cameron was nominated for Best Director for Avatar, while Bigelow was up for The Hurt Locker. Bigelow ended up beating her ex-husband and made history as the first woman to win the award.
When Bigelow took home the accolade, Cameron was happy for his ex-wife.
“I was the first one on my feet applauding,” he told The New York Times, adding that he wished the Academy had “shared the love” with the awards. (The Hurt Locker won six Oscars that year, including for best picture, which Avatar was nominated for as well.)
Despite there being a competition amongst the exes, Cameron recalled how he and Bigelow handled the situation with ease.
“Kathryn and I thought the whole meta-narrative around us was pretty funny,” he reflected. “I was a little concerned that it would just take away from her credibility as a filmmaker. It started to turn into a conversation that wasn’t about her film, and that bothered both of us.”
Cameron added that Bigelow is a “remarkable person” and the pair still, to this day, advise each other on their projects.
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Earlier this month, Cameron criticized the Academy for the lack of accolades given to science fiction films.
“I don’t think about the Academy Awards that much,” Cameron said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. “Intentionally, I don’t think about that at this point. I don’t try to make a movie to appeal to their sensibility … they don’t tend to honor films like Avatar or films that are science fiction.”
Cameron added that he is not the only sci-fi director who has been snubbed, as he’s noticed Denis Villeneuve and Dune movies have received similar treatment.
“Denis Villeneuve, another Canadian filmmaker, made these two magnificent Dune films,” Cameron argued. “And apparently these films make themselves because he wasn’t considered as a director, not even by the Director’s Guild.”
