Sean Penn On Sony Pulling ‘The Interview’: ‘Pandora’s Box Is Officially Open’


Actor-turned-activist Sean Penn has aligned with the likes of George Clooney, Judd Apatow, Aaron Sorkin, and President Barack Obama in decrying Sony’s decision to pull The Interview from theaters, following a massive system hacking that has resulted in the breach of countless inter-company emails and a subsequent terrorist threat warning of harm upon those that view the film, Christopher Rosen of the Huffington Post reports.

In an email that Penn wrote to Mother Jones, Penn, known in recent years for social activism, went further than merely calling the move an act of “cowardice” as Clooney did, warning of the potential dangers that the studio’s compromise could invite.

“The decision to pull ‘The Interview’ is historic. It’s a case of putting short term interests ahead of the long term. If we don’t get the world on board to see that this is a game changer, if this hacking doesn’t frighten the Chinese and the Russians, we’re in for a very different world, a very different country, community, and a very different culture,” he wrote.

Sony defended itself against claims such as Penn’s that it “gave in” to terrorist threats, claiming that their hand was forced by the decision of theater chains not to carry the film.

“Let us be clear — the only decision that we have made with respect to the release of the film was not to release it on Christmas Day in theaters, after the theater owners declined to show it. Without theaters, we could not release the film in theaters on Christmas Day. We had no choice.”

In his email, Penn worries that “ISIS will accept the invitation” to exploit America’s vulnerable electronic network, and that cyber terrorism leaves the country susceptible to further attacks. Penn cites visits to Liberia and the Sierra Leone, and his witnessing of the Ebola outbreak and the America’s slow response, as proof that the country lacks a “sense of urgency.” Penn further claims that the matter should immediately come before the U.N. Security Council.

In recent years, Penn participated in aid efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. Penn also has nurtured relationships with the Presidents of Venezuela and Cuba. In 2005, Penn went to Iran acting as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. Penn has been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage and played gay rights activist Harvey Milk, and is believed to have aided in the release of American Jacob Ostreicher from a Bolivian prison in 2013 and personally nursing him back to health.

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