What started out as an ugly security breech for Sony has now turned into a PR nightmare.
What started out as an ugly security breech for Sony has now turned into a PR nightmare.
Emails allegedly exchanged between Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin that were leaked by hackers on Wednesday reveal racially insensitive remarks about President Barack Obama.
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In the correspondence, the two joked about what to ask Obama at a 2013 fundraiser, suggesting movies featuring African Americans.
"Should I ask him if he liked Django?" Pascal wrote in the alleged email.
"12 Years," Rudin responded. "Ride Along. I bet he likes Kevin Hart," he later added.
Both executives apologized for their comments on Thursday. Rudin called them "thoughtless and insensitive and not funny at all," while Pascal said they were "insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who [she is]."
The leaked emails received mixed reactions from celebrities.
"I think it's unfair," Charlie Sheen told ET's Brooke Anderson. "And to make a judgment on something that should've never been seen ... it's not what should have happened."
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Julianne Moore wasn't so sure.
"If there's a 15-year-old out there that can figure out how to download a movie and watch it, more power to them," said Moore, whose film Still Alice was leaked ahead of its Jan. 16 release date.
The leaked emails contained a separate message from an executive who called Hart "greedy" for allegedly wanting to be paid to tweet. Hart declined to comment on the situation, as he is busy promoting his new
movie, The Wedding Ringer, with Josh Gad. He did however send out an Instagram message that seemed to be aimed at the hacking scandal.
The hacking fallout even extended to the premiere of James Franco and Seth Rogen's The Interview in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, which didn't contain any red-carpet interviews. The Sony film depicts a fictional assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Four off-duty officers have reportedly been added to the premiere's security team as there has been speculation that the cyber attack was a result of the regime's backlash to the film.