George Clooney: We need to stand with Sony
By Breeanna Hare, CNN
updated 11:40 AM EST, Fri December 19, 2014
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- George Clooney created a petition in support of Sony
- He couldn't get anyone to sign it
- Clooney: "We have a responsibility to stand up against this"
(CNN) -- George Clooney tried to rally support for
Sony in the midst of a severe cyberattack on the studio, but the actor
and filmmaker says he couldn't find anyone to stand with him.
In an interview with
Deadline Hollywood, Clooney says he circulated a letter asking top Hollywood figures to show their support for the embattled studio.
The letter called for the
industry to "fully support Sony's decision not to submit to these
hackers' demands," and to acknowledge "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."
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In essence, the letter
was "basically saying ... 'We're not going to give in to a ransom,' "
Clooney told Deadline. "As we watched one group be completely vilified,
nobody stood up. Nobody took that stand."
As far as his petition, Clooney couldn't land a single signature.
The hack of Sony Pictures first came to light in November, and in the weeks since has developed
into a devastating saga that's included leaked Social Security numbers and health information, embarrassing emails from studio execs and a
threat that's led to Sony canceling its release of "The Interview."
The movie, which stars
stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, has a plot that involves a plan to
assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. officials believe the
attack on Sony was ordered by North Korea's leadership.
To George Clooney, this isn't just about Sony, or the celebrity gossip that's emerged.
George Clooney has tried to rally support for Sony in the midst of a hacking scare.
"We're talking about an
actual country deciding what content we're going to have," he told
Deadline. "This affects not just movies, this affects every part of
business that we have."
"What happens if a
newsroom decides to go with a story, and a country or an individual or
corporation decides they don't like it? Forget the hacking part of it.
You have someone threaten to blow up buildings, and all of a sudden
everybody has to bow down.
"Sony didn't pull the
movie because they were scared; they pulled the movie because all the
theaters said they were not going to run it. And they said they were not
going to run it because they talked to their lawyers and those lawyers
said if somebody dies in one of these, then you're going to be
responsible."
That sense of hesitation
and fear was evident to the actor as he tried to drum up support for
the studio. Clooney wouldn't mention names, but he did say that "nobody
wanted to be the first to sign on."
"This isn't
finger-pointing," he continued. "This is just where we are right now,
how scared this industry has been made. Quite honestly, this would
happen in any industry. I don't know what the answer is, but what
happened here is part of a much larger deal. ... And people are still
talking about dumb emails. Understand what is going on right now,
because the world just changed on your watch, and you weren't even
paying attention."
Clooney isn't the only
actor unnerved by the fallout from the Sony hack. As news spread
Wednesday that the studio would not be releasing "The Interview," in
theaters or anywhere else, a number of celebrities came forward to
express their frustration.
"I think it is
disgraceful that these theaters are not showing The Interview. Will they
pull any movie that gets an anonymous threat now?" actor and filmmaker
Judd Apatow tweeted.
"Wow. Everyone caved. The hackers won. An utter and complete victory for them," added Rob Lowe.
"Game of Thrones" author
George R.R. Martin has even offered to screen the film at his
independent theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico, should the movie be made
available.
George R.R. Martin wrote a blog post titled "Corporate Cowardice."
In a blog post titled "Corporate Cowardice,"
Martin took aim at the theater chains that declined to screen "The Interview," causing Sony to shelve the film.
"I mean, really?" Martin
wrote. "These gigantic corporations, most of which could buy North
Korea with pocket change, are declining to show a film because Kim
Jong-Un objects to being mocked? The level of corporate cowardice here
astonishes me."
"The Interview" was intended to open Christmas Day as a lighthearted option for holiday crowds.
But while "The
Interview" may once have been just "a silly comedy," "what it now says
about us is a whole lot," Clooney said. "We have a responsibility to
stand up against this."
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