Nicholas Melillo, ‘Doah Staff Writer
February 18, 2015

Recent controversy has struck Sony Pictures as Amy Pascal, former executive for Sony, acknowledged that she did not voluntarily depart as Co-Chairman of the multi-billion dollar company.

The specific groundings upon which Pascal was terminated are up to speculation, but several slip-ups in the past few months shed some light on her life with Sony.

North Korea’s initial hacking of Sony Pictures in November of 2014 brought Pascal into an infamous limelight and prompted the cancellation of “The Interview,” but things only escalated from that point. Once President Obama got wind of the North Korean threats, he pushed Sony to release the film as a public statement reminding the world that Americans will not accept terrorist threats. Sony Pictures followed Obama’s orders, which made “The Interview” and Sony the most talked-about subjects for the remainder of 2014.

The hacking of Sony Pictures had leaked emails between Pascal and Scott Rudin, another film producer, showcasing a satirical conversation regarding President Obama’s preference in films with black protagonists. As expected, Pascal publically apologized to President Obama for her less-than-appropriate conversation with Rudin. This conversation may have been the last nail in the coffin for Pascal’s career as a Sony executive.

As a result of the negative publicity Pascal has accrued in the past few months, she has taken on a new, bolder approach to the media. A woman worthy of respect, Pascal has begun to speak her mind as if to say, “What have I got to lose at this point?” During the Women in the World conference in San Francisco, Pascal stated, “If we all actually were all nice, it wouldn’t work,” regarding the demeanor of Hollywood executives and producers. Frank statements like these prove that Pascal has not only accepted her termination but has actually been embracing any negative feedback from the public eye. This, however, shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as the higher-ups in Hollywood are often perceived as ruthless; Pascal’s statements simply confirm any stereotypes laid against the industry’s leaders.

In the end, Pascal still manages to retain a great deal of power as a producer in Hollywood. In fact, she’s going to be producing a few movies in the future including a new “Ghostbusters” film and a “Spider-Man” reboot. Fortunately for her, public media has cooled down around Pascal for the time being, but this will surely not be the last time any of us hear about Pascal in the near future.