Fans criticise ‘distasteful’ joke in Ryan Gosling’s new movie The Fall Guy

A joke in Ryan Gosling’s new action film has sparked uproar among viewers, who have dubbed the line “distasteful”.

Ryan Gosling and Hannah Waddingham in a scene from The Fall Guy.

A joke in Ryan Gosling’s new action movie has caused uproar online, with viewers accusing writers of making “abuse a punchline”.

The Fall Guy, which hit cinemas in Australia last week, features a line of dialogue poking fun at Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s abusive relationship.

The scene in question shows UK actress Hannah Waddingham’s character Gail walking into a messy trailer, before she remarks to Emily Blunt’s character Jody Moreno: “It’s like Amber and Johnny were just in here.”

Depp, 60, and Heard, 38, were married for just 15 months before their relationship broke down in 2016. Their dirty laundry was aired during their headline-making defamation trial in 2022, with recounts of physical, mental and emotional abuse from both parties.

Hannah Waddingham makes the joke in ‘The Fall Guy’.

A line in ‘The Fall Guy’ pokes fun at Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s relationship. Picture: Timothy A. Clary/AFP

Fans flocked to X describing the joke as “distasteful”, with one user declaring, “it’s sh*tty to joke about a domestic abuse situation.”

Another wrote, “So the fall guy has a joke where they make fun of the abuse amber heard suffered while she dated johnny depp. boycott this flop movie.”

A third chimed in saying they were enjoying the film “until the writers felt the need to put in a Johnny Depp and Amber Heard joke.”

Another added, “it’s infuriating it’s being treated as a joke in Hollywood, especially for victims and survivors.”

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star in The Fall Guy. Picture: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Depp sued Heard for defamation in 2019 following the actress’ 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post, in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence.

While she didn’t name Depp in the article, the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s lawyers argued it was obvious Heard was referencing their high-profile relationship.

Following a six-week trial in a Virginia courtroom in mid-2022, a jury ruled in favour of Depp on all three of his defamation claims against Heard, while the Aquaman star was granted one claim in her countersuit that she had been defamed by Depp’s lawyer.

Meanwhile, The Fall Guy was the number one film in Australia during its opening week after it hit cinemas on April 24, making $5.12 million at the local box office.

Gosling spent several months filming the action flick in Sydney.

The Universal Pictures film, directed by David Leitch, was shot in Australia in late 2022 and early 2023, with production shutting down the Sydney Harbour Bridge for several days and taking over the iconic Opera House strip.

An adaptation of a ‘80s TV series, it follows retired film stuntman Colt Seavers (Gosling), who is lured back to work for a mega-budget studio movie which is being directed by his ex-girlfriend, Jody (Blunt).

There’s also a missing movie star plot twist in the midst, with Colt finding himself embroiled in a real-life criminal plot as the search for the star deepens.

The Fall Guy is playing in cinemas now.