James Cameron Says Amy Poehler Went 'Too Far' at the 2013 Golden Globes

James Cameron's developed a reputation for being one of the most intense guys in show biz ... but Amy Poehler apparently got under his skin when she joked about his past marriage to Kathryn Bigelow during the 70th Golden Globes Awards ceremony in 2013, based on his comments in a recent interview.

Here's what went down ... Poehler served as one of the annual awards show's hosts, when Bigelow was up for the award for Best Director for "Zero Dark Thirty." The film's cast and crew were also up for several other awards.

Poehler took a shot at Bigelow's former marriage while talking about the torture scenes in the flick ... she said the filmmaker knew all about torture's finer points, as she "spent three years married to James Cameron."

FYI ... Bigelow was Cameron's third wife, and their marriage lasted from 1989 until 1991. They remained on friendly terms following their divorce, and the "Avatar" director eventually ended up with Linda Hamilton -- who he married and divorced -- before he tied the knot with Suzy Amis in 2000.

Cameron described the dig as "ignorant" in a December 14 The New York Times interview, and said while he was cool with being the butt of a joke every now and then, Poehler's quip about his marriage "went too far."

Cameron touched on the 2010 Oscars race, when he was pitted against Bigelow for the award for Best Director -- which she ultimately won for "The Hurt Locker" -- saying the headlines focusing on their competition could have detracted from her "credibility as a filmmaker."