Denzel Washington is the latest name revealed in a series of Sony emails that have recently been leaked to the media. The series of leaks have been especially embarrassing to the studio, as it was revealed numerous artists and celebrities were slandered in the emails.
Those slammed include Kevin Hart who was called a “w####” and President Obama who Sony producers sent emails about joking “Should I ask him if he liked Django Unchained?” “12 Years a Slave. Or the butler. Or think like a man?”
Now a new email sent from a producer to Sony chairman Michael Lynton indicates the studio felt a Black lead could hurt the chances of a film’s longtime success.
Conversations leaked from the latest hack:
“I am not saying The Equalizer should not have been made or that African American actors should not have been used (I personally think Denzel Washington is the best actor of his generation.”
“I believe that the international motion picture audience is racist – in general pictures with an African American lead don’t play well overseas.”
“But Sony sometimes seems to disregard that a picture must work well internationally to both maximise returns and reduce risk, especially pictures with decent size budgets.”
[Also Read: Kevin Hart responds to Sony exec that called him a “w####.”]
