Hollywood ignored George Clooney's attempt to condemn the Sony hackers

Before Sony decided to cancel the theatrical release of The Interview, George Clooney passed a letter around Hollywood, asking heavyweights to sign it in support of the studio and the movie. He received exactly zero signatures.

"No one stood up, nobody took a stand," Clooney told Deadline.com. The letter read in part, "We know that to give in to these criminals now will open the door for any group that would threaten freedom of expression, privacy, and personal liberty. We hope these hackers are brought to justice but until they are, we will not stand in fear. We will stand together."

Clooney did not say who declined to sign, but did speak out about Sony's decision to pull the film. "This affects not just movies, this affects every part of business that we have," he said. "What happens if a newsroom decides to go with a story, and a country or an individual or corporation decides they don't like it?" Clooney added that he refuses to go along with the hacker's demands, saying, "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."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up