Will Ferrell defends Get Hard’s gay jokes: ‘We provoke, it’s what we do’

Will Ferrell has fired back at critics who have suggested his new comedy film Get Hard is homophobic.

The film tells the story of an millionaire (Ferrell) who after being charged with embezzlement, enlists the help of the man that washes his car (Kevin Hart) to help teach him how to be “masculine” in an effort to stop him getting raped when he goes to prison.

During one scene in the film, Ferrell’s character takes an “older predatory gentlemen” into a bathroom cubicle and tells the man that he is going to “suck his dick”. However, Ferrell finds himself unable to go through with the act and ends up bursting into tears while resting his head on the still exposed, semi-erect man.

In the wake of the backlash, Ferrell has claimed that an adult-themed comedy is always “going to offend someone,” going on to suggest that the storyline of the film is just “mirroring what’s already out there”.

“Any time you’re going to do an R-rated comedy, you’re going to offend someone,’ he told AP. “But that’s kind of what we do. We provoke. We prod.

“We also show a mirror to what’s already existing out there. We’re playing fictitious characters who are articulating some of the attitudes and misconceptions that already exist.”

Get Hard is released in UK cinemas on Friday (March 27).

More stories:
Adam Lambert: ‘Being gay should be less of a label’
Nick Jonas: ‘More straight artists should stand up for gay marriage’