The Fall Guy created a stir on social media with the inclusion of a joke that made light of the relationship between former couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Now, the writer of the film has weighed in, arguing that the whole point was that the joke was inappropriate, as this was in line for the character.

In The Fall Guy, Hannah Waddingham plays movie producer Gail Meyer. One scene in the film sees the antagonist walking into a disheveled trailer on a film set and joking, "It's like Amber and Johnny were just in here." This is a clear reference to the allegations of domestic violence that Depp and Heard had accused one another of, leading to a high-profile defamation trial. Speaking about the scene with THR, writer Drew Pearce agreed that "no decent human being" would ever joke about domestic violence, and that's why the line was said by the movie's villain, whom the audience is supposed to hate.

"No decent human being would ever make a joke about that subject, and Gail’s character is clearly not a decent human being," Pearce explained. "She’s our villain, and she says horrible things, and this is just one of them. But just like what I hope continues to happen in our industry and others, Gail is ultimately held accountable for her worldview and her behavior."

"Sometimes shitty people say shitty things, but a character’s opinion in a movie is not the same as the perspective of either the film or the people making it."

The writer added, "As with all of our characters, Gail included, we wanted them to feel authentic, warts and all. Sometimes shitty people say shitty things, but a character’s opinion in a movie is not the same as the perspective of either the film or the people making it. All of that being said, when a filmmaker puts a line in a movie, they have to anticipate how it will make the audience feel, so everybody is entitled to their reaction too."

The Fall Guy Gets Rebooted as a Feature Film

Written by Pearce, The Fall Guy is based on the original TV series created by Glen A. Larson. David Leitch directed the film, which stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Teresa Palmer, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu. Gosling also served as a producer on the film alongside Leitch, Kelly McCormick, and Guymon Casady.

The Fall Guy is playing in movie theaters.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter