Celebrity Reaction Continues To Sony Canceling Release Of 'The Interview'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Hollywood reaction continued to pour in Friday in response to Sony Pictures Entertainment's decision to pull "The Interview" from release.
Actor Sean Penn strongly criticized the company by explaining he felt the decision to pull the film was "a historic case of putting short term interests ahead of the long term."
He released a statement to Mother Jones magazine saying: "This week, the distributors who wouldn't show 'The Interview' and Sony have sent ISIS a commanding invitation. I believe ISIS will accept the invitation. Pandora's box is officially open."
Penn even compared Sony's decision to that of the Ebola outbreak, as he reportedly spent time in Liberia and Sierra Leone in April.
"It did seem to those of us there that the response was neither coming swiftly nor with a true sense of urgency," Penn explained. "This feels the same."
"The damage we do to ourselves typically outweighs the harm caused by outside threats or actions," Penn continued. "Then, by caving to the outside threat, we make our nightmares real."
Penn concluded by saying he felt the issue should go before the security council at the United Nations.
On Friday, the FBI confirmed that they had enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for the cyber attack, which prompted the cancellation of the movie.
Before the statement was issued, actor George Clooney and his agent circulated a petition in support of Sony, after it became the victim of the attack.
On Thursday, singer Josh Groban, actress Lisa Kudrow and comedian Billy Eichner were among celebrities that reacted to the situation, from the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton, for the People Magazine award show.
Sony Pictures Entertainment announced the cancellation of the Dec. 25 release on Wednesday after several movie theater chains reported they would not show the film.
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