Hollywood Mega-Producer Apologizes For Racist Obama Comments In Leaked Emails
Racist remarks about President Obama by Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and mega-producer Scott Rudin were made public Thursday in the latest leaked Sony emails.
In the email exchange, Pascal asks Rudin what she should talk about with Obama at an event organized by DreamWorks Animation head and Democratic donor, Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Pascal said: "Should I ask him if he liked DJANGO?" to which Rudin replied: "12 YEARS," likely in reference to the movie "12 Years A Slave." Pascal then said: "Or the butler. Or think like a man? [sic]" referring to other movies featuring black men.
Rudin then speculated that Obama liked Kevin Hart, a black comedian who has done numerous films with Sony.
In the wake of the emails being made public, Rudin just issued an apology to 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."
The Obama email wasn't the only one Rudin is probably regretting right about now.
In other leaked exchanges, Rudin calls Angelina Jolie a "spoiled brat" with "a rampaging spoiled ego" and even blasts his pal Pascal for "behaving abominably" while handling the Steve Jobs project that Sony ultimately lost to Universal.
On Wednesday, Rudin told the New York Times:
"This is not about salacious emails being batted around by Gawker and Defamer. It's about a criminal act, and the people behind it should be treated as nothing more nor less than criminals."
The FBI is currently investigating the series of cyber hacks at Sony, but say the attack is so sophisticated that it would have gotten past "90%" of firms.