Could “The Interview,” the silly new movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, cause an international incident? We’ll have to see.
But even before its release, the comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is angering some in North Korea, and there’s suspicion that the recent hacking of Sony Pictures’s online network is retaliation. (The movie comes out Christmas Day.)
Speaking at Harvard’s Institute of Politics on Tuesday, Rogen seemed amused that an adolescent buddy movie could provoke such a reaction.
“I would hope they’d have better things to do,” he said.
Tuesday’s forum was focused on politics and humor, and included Lizz Winstead, co-creator of the “The Daily Show,” and moderator Alexis Wilkinson, president of the Harvard Lampoon.
While there’s no confirmation that North Korea is behind the cyberattack on Sony, the country’s official news agency has condemned “The Interview” as an “act of war,” saying the United States could face “stern” and “merciless” retaliation if the film is released. (Why didn’t someone threaten retaliation before “The Last Airbender” was released?)
Rogen said he is not surprised by North Korea’s response — “crazy rhetoric is the name of their game” — but would be reluctant to attend a screening of the movie there.
“Maybe if magic existed,” he said, laughing. “If there was some magic spell that could be put on us so we’d be 100 percent OK, then I would” go.
Rogen and Winstead agreed that comedy can be negative, and some jokes inevitably will offend people.
“You have to own it when people come down on you,” said Winstead, “and feel good if you can defend it. There are going to be haters no matter what.”
As juvenile and tasteless as some of the jokes are in movies like “Knocked Up” and “Superbad,” they’re often tame compared to material that was cut out, said Rogen.
“But I don’t think there’s some [politically correct] squad trying to prevent me from doing what I want,” he said. “If anything, I’m surprised by what I can get away with.”
The night before the Harvard event, Rogen screened “The Interview” for fans at the Revere Hotel’s Theatre 1. He mingled with the mostly male crowd and then introduced the comedy with co-director Evan Goldberg. Rogen took a moment to make fun of Theatre 1’s decor, particularly its velvet walls. He said it would be a good room for an orgy and welcomed everyone in the crowd to have intercourse. They politely declined.