Clooney Calls for Release of “The Interview”, Urges People to Sign Petition

MOSCOW, December 19 (Sputnik) – Hollywood actor George Clooney wants the release of a movie “The Interview”, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco who play two US journalists set to assassinate North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un; the actor has tried to push other Hollywood celebrities to sign a petition, which has so far been unsuccessful, the Daily Mail reports.

“We should be in the position right now of going on offense with this. 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,” Clooney ranted on the situation, quoted by NBC News. “That’s the most important part. We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong Un, of all [explicit] people.”

Clooney was frustrated that Sony Pictures pulled the movie from cinema release and even from home-video formats. The company’s decision came after a group of hackers, known as Guardians of Peace, threatened a terrorist attack against cinemas that would show the film, according to the Guardian.

“Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time,” Guardians of Peace wrote in a message on Tuesday, according to the BBC. “If your house is nearby, you’d better leave. Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.”

The hacker group is believed to be linked to North Korea, the Guardian said.

Clooney himself believes North Korea is behind the hack. “With just little bit of work, you could have found out that it wasn’t just probably North Korea; it was North Korea… It’s a serious moment in time that needs to be addressed seriously, as opposed to frivolously” Clooney told themedia, quoted by the Guardian.

The actor is also frustrated that many powerful individuals within Hollywood circles were too scared to sign his petition. The petition calls for Sony not to submit to the hackers’ demand and proceed with the film release.

“This is just where we are right now, how scared this industry has been made… And people are still talking about dumb emails. Understand what is going on right now, because the world just changed on your watch, and you weren’t even paying attention” Clooney said, quoted by the Daily Mail.