Sony's decision to cancel the release of controversial political-comedy The Interview has caused a backlash amongst Hollywood.
Following a slew of tweets from actors, screenwriters and directors, George Clooney has joined in on the debate.
Speaking to Deadline, Clooney speaks of Hollywood's cowardice and his hope that The Interview would be released in some format. Although he comments that, "this was a dumb comedy that was about to come out," adding, "this is a silly comedy, but the truth is, what it now says about us is a whole lot. We have a responsibility to stand up against this."
Clooney created a petition over the past week to fight against the hackers' demands, but was frustrated that his peers were reluctant to sign it: "As we watched one group be completely vilified, nobody stood up. Nobody took that stand."
Here's what George wrote in the petition:
On November 24 of this year, Sony Pictures was notified that it was the victim of a cyber attack, the effects of which is the most chilling and devastating of any cyber attack in the history of our country.
Personal information including Social Security numbers, email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers and the full texts of emails of tens of thousands of Sony employees was leaked online in an effort to scare and terrorize these workers.
The hackers have made both demands and threats. The demand that Sony halt the release of its upcoming comedy The Interview, a satirical film about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Their threats vary from personal—you better behave wisely—to threatening physical harm—not only you but your family is in danger.
North Korea has not claimed credit for the attack but has praised the act, calling it a righteous deed and promising merciless measures if the film is released. Meanwhile the hackers insist in their statement that what they've done so far is only a small part of our further plan. This is not just an attack on Sony. It involves every studio, every network, every business and every individual in this country.
That is why we fully support Sony's decision not to submit to these hackers' demands. We know that to give in to these criminals now will open the door for any group that would threaten freedom of expression, privacy and personal liberty. We hope these hackers are brought to justice but until they are, we will not stand in fear. We will stand together.
According to Clooney, it was "a fairly large number" of people who were asked yet refused to sign the petition. Admitting that "nobody wanted to be the first to sign on," he went on to discuss what this has demonstrated about the film industry: "This is just where we are right now, how scared this industry has been made."
As we've reported before, this has become more about the threat of censorship rather than the threat of a terrorist attack: the question is which is a greater risk? Hollywood is hitting out at the film industry cowering and negotiating with terrorists - but it would be on Sony's heads if North Korea made good on their promise and hurt innocent movie-goers for the sake of releasing this film. What's the risk here? Just another side to consider.
By Cat Sarsfield
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