No regrets on Kim parody, says Rogen

LOS ANGELES - Actor Seth Rogen has defended the move to parody North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in raunchy comedy The Interview, the movie that sparked a real-life threat from the country and is suspected as the possible cause of a damaging cyber attack on Sony Pictures.

Rogen, who wrote, produced and directed The Interview with film-making partner Evan Goldberg, told ABC show Good Morning America on Monday that he had not anticipated the media storm surrounding the film.

"I don't know if the hacking honestly is because of our movie, definitively or not. I know that it has been the centre of a lot of media attention lately," he said, adding: "The movie itself is very silly and wasn't meant to be controversial in any way."

Last month, Sony Pictures' computer network was crippled by an attack by hackers who stole and released five films, employee data and internal e-mail. People close to the investigation have told Reuters that North Korea is a principal suspect, but a North Korean diplomat has denied that his country was involved.

On Monday, Rogen said the film goes to great lengths to separate the regime from the North Korean people, saying they are "victims of a horrible situation".

E-mail released by the hackers shed light on Sony's internal debate about the film, showing that Sony Corporation chief executive Kazuo Hirai ordered that the movie be toned down after North Korea complained.

Rogen objected but complied before the cyber attack.

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