James Cameron has spoken out against a joke Amy Poehler made, saying it was inappropriate and went “too far.”

The 71-year-old director was the subject of a quip made by the 54-year-old actress while she was hosting an awards ceremony in 2013, during which Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, was nominated for Zero Dark Thirty.

At the time, Poehler referenced the controversy surrounding the film’s depiction of torture, joking, “When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron.”

Cameron said he did not view the joke as harmless humour and was disappointed that it was met with laughter from his peers.

In a new interview with The New York Times, the Titanic director called the remark “ignorant,” adding that the event was meant to celebrate filmmakers, not mock them.

“I’m pretty thick-skinned and happy to be the butt of a good-natured joke,” Cameron said. “But that went too far. 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.”

It is worth noting that James Cameron was married to Kathryn Bigelow from 1989 to 1991.