Under fire for racist remarks

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This article was published 15/12/2014 (4076 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES — Amy Pascal, one of the most powerful women in the man’s world that is Hollywood and the force behind such critical and commercial hits as The Social Network and American Hustle has had better days.

The co-chairman of the studio and chief of its film division is under fire for racist remarks about U.S. President Obama’s presumed choice in movies that surfaced in emails made public by the Sony cyberattack.

Pascal also faces criticism for green-lighting the film that may have inspired the hacking to begin with: The Interview, which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as bumbling journalists tasked with killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea has denied responsibility for the attack, but praised it as a “righteous deed.” Earlier this year, the country’s foreign ministry said the film’s release would be an “act of war” and promised “merciless” retaliation.

The Interview is not the first film to target political leaders, or even North Korea. Team America: World Police famously took aim at Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il. This also isn’t the first time a powerful executive has been dogged by private comments made public. But can Pascal’s career survive such a double whammy?

The 56-year-old thinks so.

“I’d be surprised if my entire legacy was based on the leak of the email exchange,” Pascal told industry website the Wrap on Thursday. Virtually unknown outside of Hollywood, her nearly 20-year tenure at Sony and Columbia Pictures has included some very well-known films, such as Skyfall, Superbad, Salt, Fury and The Equalizer. Pascal was fourth on the Hollywood Reporter’s annual ranking released this week of the most powerful women in entertainment.

She apologized Thursday for the “insensitive and inappropriate” comments in her emails that she says are “not an accurate reflection of who I am.” Oscar-winning producer Scott Rudin, who participated in the racist exchange, apologized as well. Rudin, incidentally, was a producer of Team America.

Pascal’s decision to bring The Interview to theatres isn’t as problematic as the unflattering image created by her own private emails, said branding expert Dorie Clark.

“She’s on solid ground rhetorically when she talks about the fact that Sony Pictures Entertainment is never going to back down from releasing a film because of the threat of what hackers might do,” Clark said.

Rogen thanked Pascal for having the courage to make the film at its première Thursday, where Sony took the unusual step of denying press interviews.

Clark said Pascal’s professional network will determine the continued viability of her career.

“What’s going to decide her future is how close she is with her boss and what kind of relationship she has with the board. This scandal is survivable,” she said. “It depends on how many people there are in Hollywood who want to put a knife in her back.”

Clark said Sony’s financial success under Pascal is likely to play positively into her fate, noting the company’s revenues are up 13 per cent over the past fiscal year.

Pascal and Sony did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

 

— The Associated Press