Angelina Jolie Pitt has spoken out for the first time about the Sony email hack, which revealed she had been on the end of insults in an exchange between producer Scott Rudin and then Sony studio head Amy Pascal.
In an interview with the New York Times designed to promote her upcoming film By the Sea, which she directs and in which she stars opposite husband Brad Pitt, Jolie Pitt said that, while she “didn’t read any of [the emails]”, someone told had told her what they contained, and she wasn’t bothered by them. “There are certain things that bother me and certain things that don’t. Personal attacks on me? I think I’m just so used to it.”
Pascal suggested this was the the star’s position earlier this year when she claimed “Angie didn’t care” in an on-stage interview with Tina Brown.
The hacked emails, which came to light in December 2014, leaked a row between Rudin and Pascal over which of two Sony projects – the Steve Jobs biopic and a new film about Cleopatra – they could hire celebrated director David Fincher for. Calling Jolie Pitt “a minimally talented spoiled brat”, Rudin claimed she was putting pressure on Fincher to commit to Cleopatra and thus turn down the Jobs film (which Rudin was producing).
As it turned out, Fincher did not sign a contract for either film, and Sony eventually pulled out of the Jobs biopic. Rudin then set the film up at Universal, with Danny Boyle as director.
Jolie Pitt told the New York Times: “Honestly, my first instinct was that I was worried about Amy. I had someone call her and ask if she was OK. Not because I’m a saint, but because I think we have to look at the bigger picture. She’s got kids. I knew it was going to unravel for her.” This would seem to belie the inference widely taken from an infamous photograph of Jolie appearing to glare at Pascal shortly after the emails were made public.
In the same interview, Jolie Pitt also discussed sexism in the film industry, saying it was “part of every industry and must be addressed”. “I want to support other women because of the opportunities I’ve had – and I’ve had a lot of opportunities. What I try, as a female director, is to do the best job I can and in the meantime bring attention to as many other female directors and writers as I can.”
She also alluded to her figurehead status as one of Hollywood’s few high-profile women directors. “Sometimes people in the business focus on the fact that you’re a minority. I don’t want people saying, ‘Should we get a female director?’ I want to hear, ‘Should we get a great director for this movie?’”
“But I’m the first female director that Brad’s ever worked with. That doesn’t seem right when you think about it.”
