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The Morning Joe crew got heated on Friday while discussing Sony’s decision to cancel the release of The Interview following ongoing threats from hacker group Guardians of Peace, as well as George Clooney‘s passionate and defiant chat about the matter.
The actor, speaking out after his unsuccessful petition asking the industry to “stand together” and present a unified front behind Sony Pictures and not give into threats from the hackers, said he discussed the larger potential ramifications with Sony Pictures co-chief Amy Pascal: “Stick it online. Do whatever you can to get this movie out. Not because everybody has to see the movie, but because I’m not going to be told we can’t see the movie. That’s the most important part. We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong-un, of all f—ing people.”
Read more Sony Hack: George Clooney Attacks Media, Defends Studio
“I really am stunned that everybody’s capitulated, that Hollywood’s capitulated, that movie theaters have capitulated,” Joe Scarborough said on the MSNBC show, defending Clooney’s stance and also expressing outrage for the decision to cancel the defiant Team America: World Police screenings that some theaters had slated in place of the Seth Rogen–James Franco comedy. “If we have gotten to the point where you are banning puppet movies because you fear North Korea, let me just say, you suck. I’m glad you don’t guard the Pentagon. … I would put The Interview on, and you know what? There would be a lot of police protection and there would be lines around the block, … and twenty American flags, saying, ‘Come at me.'”
Mika Brzezinski, on the other hand, said of Clooney’s stance, “Well, I think that’s really nice of George Clooney while he’s vacationing in Sicily. … He’s not going to be at the theater.”
Brzezinski was interrupted by Scarborough, calling her comment a “cheap shot” and said of his co-host’s stance opposite Clooney, “There’s nothing more sad than watching somebody who vacations in the south of France attack somebody who vacations in the south of Italy.”
Brzezinski also said later on in the chat, “You can go watch it in Ari’s [Emanuel] theater room, you guys will be just fine.”
See more 11 Times North Korea Was the Bad Guy in Movies and TV Shows
Watch the Morning Joe clip below:
Meanwhile, several around Hollywood have expressed their support for Clooney’s comments:
Usually don’t find common ground w/ a liberal actor, but on how Hollywood shld answer Sony hack, I #StandwithClooney. http://t.co/4VglU0nxaT
— Karl Rove (@KarlRove) December 19, 2014
Clooney for president. Dead on. http://t.co/b7cYdQU41l
— philip lord (@philiplord) December 19, 2014
Finally, someone in Hollywood shows some balls. Good for George Clooney > http://t.co/F72wP0HRAc #sony #Nkorea
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2014
Email: Ashley.Lee@THR.com
Twitter: @cashleelee
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