It was only a few months ago that everybody was livid when A-list celebs were hacked and naked selfies flooded the internet like Nigerian get-rich-quick emails used to. With the hack of Sony and the exposure of terabytes of confidential data, emails, and more, all we're interested in is just how awful Hollywood really is:
There is unapologetic prurience at the chance to get a real behind-the-scenes look at an industry long notorious for its wicked, backbiting, and hypocritical ways. Big-shot producer Scott Rudin tells Sony co-chair Amy Pascal he thinks Angelina Jolie is "a minimally talented spoiled brat"? A-List director David Fincher is as difficult as Hitler was anti-Semitic? Tell us more!
In a new column for Time, I argue that as hacks become more common and more public, expect people to become in general to become more forgiving:
Even a few decades ago, the release of nude photos was enough to cost Miss America her crown. However mortified they might be personally, none of the celebrities outed in the nude picture hack can claim much if any damage to their professional life. So it is with Hollywood hypocrisy and scandalous personal behavior, which has never been in short supply.
Short of revelations of serious crime—such as the rape allegations Bill Cosby is facing—the public will simply consume any behind-the-scenes drama as something akin to a bonus track on a DVD. If anything, expect seemingly unauthorized "hacks" to become strategically deployed to pique curiosity about projects. Certainly,The Interview is a more interesting movie when we know that studio executives wanted to tone it down.
And expect Hollywood players—phonies that they are—to be the most forgiving of all. Rudin and Pascal have already apologized for their "racially insensitive remarks" and Pascal has begun a ritualized apology tour by phoning the Rev. Al Sharpton and promising to go on the tax-avoiding MSNBC host's show. Pascal has even managed to air kiss Angelina Jolie, the object of withering scorn in one of the most widely discussed email exchanges with Rudin. Most important, though, Rudin and Pascal have reportedly also forgiven each other for their harsh comments. Because in Hollywood, after all, it's who you know that counts most of all.
