'The Fall Guy' invites fans criticism over Johnny Depp, Amber Heard joke

Even before The Fall Guy opens in theatres, a line of speech from the movie is stirring up some discussion among fans.

Hannah Waddingham's character, Gail Meyer, in the David Leitch-directed action-comedy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, alludes to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's tumultuous relationship at one point.

In the scene, Waddingham, who plays the film's executive producer, is said to look dishevelled as she enters a trailer and informs director Jody Moreno (Blunt), “It’s like Amber and Johnny were just in here.”

Since then, some viewers have criticised the line on social media. One user wrote on X (previously Twitter), “‘The Fall Guy’ made a distasteful “joke” about the domestic abuse amber suffered at the hands of johnny. it’s 2024, why are we writing these kinds of lines into movies? nasty work.”

Another social media user chimed in about the film “allegedly makes a cheap Amber / J*hnny joke. would love to ask the writer what he thinks is so funny about domestic violence.”

For those unversed, after tying the knot in 2015, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's marriage only lasted for 15 months. However, their divorce caught the public eye in 2019 when Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation.

The lawsuit was related to an op-ed that Heard wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, in which she discussed domestic abuse but didn't mention Depp's name.

The Fall Guy will hit the theatres worldwide on Friday, May 03.