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Amy Adams Was “Confused” & “Frustrated” By Today Cancellation

Photo: BEImages/Gregory Pace.
Update: USA Today asked Amy Adams about the Today show situation at a private screening of Big Eyes on Tuesday night. Her remarks were shared online.
"I expressed that I was uncomfortable. I said I would rather not add my voice to this conversation. But it was clear they were drawing a hard line. That this would be part of the conversation. I walked away from the conversation and went up to the room to do the interview. I assumed they were going to ask me about (Sony hacking). And I was prepared for that, to whatever degree I was prepared."
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Despite her preparation, Today axed the segment. "I was informed that they had decided to pull the interview," Adams said. "I was confused and definitely frustrated. I still don't understand."
As to the report that she'd gotten aggressive with producers from the show, Adams told USA Today it stemmed from the fact that "she did the unusual step of speaking to the producers rather than media representatives."
The actress stands by her decision. "I feel like I don't have trouble standing up for myself. This was a situation I chose to speak for myself," Adams said.
This post was originally published on December 23, 2014: Amy Adams is in the middle of a press tour for her new film, Big Eyes. She was scheduled to appear on a recent episode of the Today show, but her interview was reportedly canceled. The reason? Before the taping, Adams was told in the green room that she would be asked to comment on the recent Sony hack. When she refused to discuss it, the show's producers canceled Adams' appearance.
A source told Page Six that, "Amy said she didn't want to contribute to the media coverage of it...then she was abruptly told that her interview with Today was canceled. She was shocked and upset."
Reps for Today tried to paint a different picture of the situation. A different source told Page Six that Adams "was angry and acting belligerent," yelling at producers and making a young female staffer cry. The source said her outburst was caught on tape.
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This prompted calls from Harvey Weinstein, the head of Big Eyes' distributor The Weinstein Company, and Don Nash, the head of the Today show. TWC offered to finance an internal investigation to find out what really happened, but NBC refused to provide any more information.
The network stood by its decision to cancel the interview, saying, "As a news program, the Today show doesn't allow guests to put restrictions on interviews.
Adams played in an integral role in part of the hack that revealed the ever-present gender-wage gap in Hollywood. A leaked email showed that Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were compensated less than their male costars for their roles in American Hustle, even though Adams had a lead role and Jennifer Lawrence has more name recognition than most of the other cast members.
Bradley Cooper, Adams' Hustle costar, received higher compensation despite having a smaller role. He also recently appeared on Today to talk about his new movie, American Sniper. He was not asked about the Sony situation. Why not, Today? (Page Six)


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