Sony Cyber Attack Update: Seth Rogen Praises Company's "Courage"

"The Interview" star Seth Rogen thanks Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal for having the courage "to make this movie" before the packed screening of the comedy in downtown Los Angeles.

The parody film, which is about an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has been in the midst of controversy after getting denounced by North Korea and potentially prompting a major cyber attack on Sony.  

An unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in June that the film's release would be considered an "act of war that we will never tolerate," the CBS News reported.

Following the massive security breach, Sony reined in media access at the premiere. Stars Seth Rogen and James Franco posed on a small red carpet restricted to photographers

According to the Chicago Tribune, when asked about the film's international impact, the film's co-writer and co-director Evan Goldberg said with a laugh: "I'm not getting involved in all of that."

Goldberg, Rogen and Franco mingled with guests at the pre-screening party. Also present at the premiere was Amy Pascal who said she was "doing good."

Pascal defended the studio's decision to make Rogen and Goldberg's comedy.

"No one will tell us what movies to release, ever," she said. "Nobody should be able to intimidate a company."

Rogen agreed to small changes when Sony Corp. Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai ordered Pascal to tone down the film after causing tension with North Korea but refused to modify the death scene.

"This is now a story of Americans changing their movie to make North Koreans happy," he said in an Aug. 15 email. "That is a very damning story."