James Cameron calls Glenn Beck 'madman,' 'f**king a**hole'

Academy Award-winning director James Cameron lit into Glenn Beck during an appearance Tuesday, telling reporters that he thought Fox News host Glenn Beck was a "f--ing a--hole" for once labeling him the anti-Christ.

Cameron, director of Avatar, the highest-grossing film ever, also answered follow-up questions from the Hollywood Reporter in which he said the Fox News talker was "dangerous" and a "madman."

Asked what he thought about Beck during a junket appearance in support of the "Avatar" home-video release, Cameron said: "Glenn Beck is a f---ing asshole. I've met him. He called me the anti-Christ, and not about 'Avatar.' He hadn't even seen 'Avatar' yet. I don't know if he has seen it."

Cameron apparently was referring to Beck's reaction to his 2007 documentary, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," which casts doubt on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and makes the case that the ancient Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries belonged to Jesus' family. [At the time, Beck said, "Many people believe James Cameron officially has tossed his hat in the ring today and is officially running for anti-Christ."]

After blasting Beck, Cameron, surrounded by journalists inside a West Hollywood hillside mansion, seemed to reconsider: "I think, you know what, he may or may not be an asshole, but he certainly is dangerous, and I'd love to have a dialogue with him."

What makes Beck dangerous, The Hollywood Reporter inquired?

"He's dangerous because his ideas are poisonous," Cameron answered. "I couldn't believe when he was on CNN. I thought, what happened to CNN? Who is this guy? Who is this madman? And then of course he wound up on Fox News, which is where he belongs, I guess."

Asked if he felt the right wing's attacks against him were continuing, Cameron replied: "They're not attacks. They're just people ranting away, lost in their little bubbles of reality, steeped in their own hatred, their own fear and hatred. That's where it all comes from. Let's just call it out. Let's have a public discussion. That's what movies are supposed to do, you know. You can have a mindless entertainment film that doesn't affect anybody. I wasn't interested in that."

Cameron is also the director of the hit films Terminator, Aliens and The Abyss.