Sony Pictures chairman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin have apologized after a series of racist emails involving US President Barack Obama were leaked online following the huge Sony hack.
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The emails were sent on the even of a fundraising breakfast held by DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, which both Pascal and Obama attended. Prior to the event, Pascal emailed Rudin asking the producer for suggestions of topics to discuss with the President, asking him: “Should I ask him if he liked DJANGO?”
Rudin replied: “12 years,” a reference to Steve McQueen’s 2013 Academy Award-winning film about slavery 12 Years a Slave. The pair then continued to list a selection of movies featuring black actors, with Rudin also saying “I bet he likes Kevin Hart,” before going on to suggest two Kevin Hart movies to discuss with Obama.
Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal.
Both Rudin and Pascal have now inevitably apologized, with Rudin telling Deadline: “Private emails between friends and colleagues written in haste and without much thought or sensitivity, even when the content of them is meant to be in jest, can result in offense where none was intended.
“I made a series of remarks that were meant only to be funny, but in the cold light of day, they are in fact thoughtless and insensitive – and not funny at all. To anybody I’ve offended, I’m profoundly and deeply sorry, and I regret and apologize for any injury they might have caused.”
Pascal later issued an apology of her own, saying that her emails were “insensitive and inappropriate.”
She continued: “But (they) are not an accurate reflection of who I am. Although this was a private communication that was stolen, I accept full responsibility for what I wrote and apologize to everyone who was offended.”
The leaked emails, obtained after hacking group “Guardians of Peace” managed to infiltrate Sony Pictures’ servers and gain access to confidential information, continue to be hugely embarrassing for Sony. The company has maintained that they are doing all they can in terms of damage limitation, but at this point it seems like there is no going back.
Photo: Getty Images
