All was calm at the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures’s parody film The Interview, which had been in the spotlight for sparking tension with North Korea and potentially prompting a major cyber hack on the company.
Stars Seth Rogen and James Franco posed on a small red carpet restricted to photographers as Sony reined in media access after the film made headlines following a devastating security breach that leaked films, data and e-mails.
“I’m not getting involved in all of that,” the film’s co-writer and co-director Evan Goldberg said with a laugh, when asked about the film’s international impact.
He said he and Rogen are already busy working on their next projects, including a TV show and an animated comedy film, and would host a few press opportunities in New York next week for The Interview.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of Japan’s Sony Corp., was the target of a massive cyber attack that became public on November 24.
People close to the investigation have told Reuters that North Korea is a principal suspect in the hack, but a North Korean diplomat has denied his nation was involved. Pyongyang condemned the film in June.
Goldberg, Rogen and Franco mingled with guests at the pre-screening party. Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal, who apologised for racial insensitive remarks about President Barack Obama in leaked e-mails, said at the premiere she was “doing good”, and hugged Goldberg.
In interviews with industry publications, including Deadline Hollywood, Pascal defended the studio’s decision to make Rogen and Goldberg’s comedy.