'Today' Show Cancels Amy Adams Interview Over Sony Hacks
NBC's Today cancelled an interview with Big Eyes star Amy Adams, over one of the stupidest possible reasons a show could cancel on a five-time Oscar nominee: she expressed a preference not to talk about a certain scandal. A scandal which, mind you, has almost nothing to do with her.
Although the interview was scheduled to take place yesterday morning, the news is now coming out that Adams had her appearance canceled by Today over her refusal to discuss the recent Sony hacks, which U.S. officials have linked to North Korea.
Okay, technically "refusal" is the wrong word, since she reportedly didn't even veto discussing the topic. Reportedly, Adams was prepared to answer any questions about the Sony hack, but stated that she would prefer not to. You know, since the interview segment was only going to be four minutes long, and she had a movie to promote.
But why would Today even want Adams's opinion on the hacks?
As it turns out, the most recent email leaks reveal that Adams made less than her male co-stars in last year's Best Picture nominee American Hustle. So one could see, in some respects, why the show would want to discuss that with Adams, even if NBC's approach was reportedly less than tactful.
"Adams didn’t refuse to answer the question and she didn’t balk, I’m told," said Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. "Prepared to explain away a scandal she played no role in, Adam was seen live in the orange room, just before she was to be interviewed. But the show bounced her, pulling her segment and completely wasting her time."
An insider told Us Weekly a similar tale.
"Amy's segment was pulled very suddenly after she expressed that she'd rather not discuss the Sony hack," said the source. "She was not aggressive or freaking out... It is unfortunate. Amy didn’t do anything wrong and they pulled the interview."
However, Today is defending its decision, stating that they do not allow celebrities to dictate the stories they cover.
"As a news program, the Today show doesn't allow guests to put restrictions on interviews," the Today show said in a statement. "In this case, after hours of discussion we felt uncomfortable with the demands being made, and we determined the best course of action for all parties involved was to cancel the interview."
A show insider added, "As a professional courtesy, Amy and her team were told well in advance that she might get asked about Sony, and that it was entirely up to her whether she wanted to answer."
The Weinstein Company, the studio distributing Big Eyes, a Golden Globe nominee and hopeful Oscar contender, is standing behind its star. The company released a statement backing Adams and admonishing Today for its lack of respect for someone who actually stayed behind in New York after hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend, simply to do the interview on Monday morning:
“We firmly stand behind Amy Adams," the statement reads. "We’ve been lucky enough to have had her talents grace several of our films. We are certain her fellow actors and directors would all agree, she is nothing but the consummate professional both on and off set. Amy decided to speak up for herself and express her disappointment that Today would feel the need to ask her a question she did not feel comfortable, and rather than respect her opinion or continue the discussion, the reaction was to pull her appearance from the show."
Ultimately, Today isn't exactly wrong for wanting to talk about the Sony hacks, since it is newsworthy, and you could make the argument that it had relevance to Adams due to the American Hustle salary leaks. But I really don't think this needed to be something Today canceled her appearance over. For crying out loud, it's a four-minute puff piece on a movie about an artist and her con-man husband. What would they have expected her to say about the leaks? It's not like she's going to burn a bridge and condemn Sony for not paying her as much as Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper. At best, they'd have gotten some carefully-worded, diplomatic response that would have essentially amounted to a non-answer. So why press the matter and risk damaging your own reputation? It just seems like a short-sighted move on Today's part, even if the motivations behind it aren't entirely without merit.
But which side do you fall on? Team Amy, Team Today, or Team I Don't See What the Big Deal Is? Sound off in the comments!
Credit: Comedy Central