The newest wave of leaked emails from the Sony Hack, dutifully combed through by Gawker, reveals a conversation between Sony co-chiefs Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal, and Clint Culpepper, head of Sony subsidy studio Screen Gems. The email is about Kevin Hart, who has a multi-picture deal with Screen Gems, and in it, Culpeper says, “I’m not saying he’s a whore, but he’s a whore.”
Culpepper’s comments are about trying to get Hart to promote a movie on Twitter. Hart was paid $3 million for this unnamed project (probably either Think Like a Man Too or About Last Night), and though he recognized that “normal publicity” was part of this deal—i.e., interviews and appearances—Hart’s agent, Jeremy Zimmer, thought that social media engagement ought to cost extra. Culpepper balked because he didn’t want to set a precedent with other social media-savvy actors, including “Channing” at the same agency. Channing Tatum is repped by UTA, same as Hart.
Now, this is not the same level as calling Angelina Jolie a “spoiled brat” , even though the language is harsher. Hart doesn’t have the same power as Dame Angelina—she can really make life miserable for Scott Rudin—but Hart has been profitable for Screen Gems. His last two movies have earned over $113 million in this year alone for the company. So it’s not a bridge Culpeper wants to be burning, either.
Morale at Sony is in the sh*tter and it’s going to get worse. The damage this is doing to working relationships is, to me, unimaginable. Hollywood is a high school cafeteria and the Sony Hack is Regina George standing on a table, reading the Burn Book aloud to everyone. How do they bounce back from this?
