"Today" news producers exercised their journalistic integrity when they decided to cancel the morning show's interview with Amy Adams.
Adams planned to promote her new film, "Big Eyes," but "Today" also wanted to speak to her about the Sony hack that leaked documents revealing her salary in "American Hustle." The 40-year-old actress and her co-star Jennifer Lawrence made less than their male co-stars in the film, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper.
"As a news program, the 'Today' show doesn't allow guests to dictate restrictions on interviews," a spokesperson for the NBC news program told Deadline. "In this case, after hours of discussion we felt uncomfortable with the demands being made and we determined the best course of action for all parties involved was to cancel the interview."
The five-time Oscar nominee reportedly "freaked out" when she learned about the line of questioning, according to the New York Daily News. She also "got aggressive" in the green room when "Today" made the ultimate decision to not go through with the interview.
("Today" did not question Cooper about the salary discrepancy when he appeared on the program to speak about his new film "American Sniper.")
The Weinstein Company, the production company behind "Big Eyes," released a statement to Deadline in support of its star actress.
"We firmly stand behind Amy Adams. We've been lucky enough to have had her talents grace several of our films. We are certain her fellow actors and directors would all agree, she is nothing but the consummate professional both on and off set," the statement read. "Amy decided to speak up for herself and express disappointment that 'Today' would feel the need to ask her a question she did not feel comfortable, and rather than respect her opinion or continue the discussion, the reaction was to pull her appearance from the show."
Adams stayed in New York for the "Today" interview following her hosting gig on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Dec. 20.
