A California congressman on Monday invited Sony Pictures to screen “The Interview” at the Capitol, saying lawmakers need to be educated on the film that “everyone is talking about” and the gesture would show their support for freedom of speech.
Sony Pictures canceled the Christmas Day release of the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy about a plot to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un after hackers threatened theaters planning to show it. The FBI accused Pyongyang of being behind a massive hacking of Sony, which North Korea has denied though it applauded the attack.
Brad Sherman, a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles, said Congress should “stand in solidarity” with Sony and the American film industry. “Threats from a dictator in North Korea should not stop Americans from seeing any movie. We have a responsibility to stand up against these attempts at intimidation,” he said in a letter to Sony. “This is also about educating members of Congress. Everyone is talking about 'The Interview.' I think it's important for Congress to know, and see, what we are talking about.”
A host of voices in the U.S., from Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney to President Barack Obama, have said Sony should release the movie. On Monday, the North experienced a widespread internet outage; a U.S. official denied any American involvement in it.