Dozens of people who opted to watch the controversial comedy film The Interview at a theater, rather than at home, were treated to a surprise appearance by none other than actor, co-director and writer Seth Rogen.
He and co-director and co-writer Evan Goldberg, his longtime writing partner, both took the stage on Christmas Day at midnight at the Cinefamily, former home of Los Angeles' Silent Movie Theatre, and were met with applause. The 184-seat venue is of about 330 cinemas where The Interview is being screened following a surprise decision by Sony to release the movie, including as a $5.99 paid download, after initially pulling it amid threats from hackers who had denounced the movie and launched a cyber-attack against the studio.
"Thank you so f--king much for coming," Rogen told the cheering crowd, standing in between Goldberg and a man dressed in a Santa costume and a red, white and blue hat. "We thought this might not happen at all!"
Watch Rogen and Goldberg surprise moviegoers above, courtesy of NBC News.
The United States had blamed North Korea for the hack, whose leader Kim Jong Un is spoofed in the movie and is the target of an assassination plot, while the totalitarian nation has denied involvement, although it has also denounced The Interview. The hackers' threat, which cited the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, spurred the largest theater chains to cancel plans to screen the film, which was initially supposed to be shown at thousands of cinemas.
"We just really want to say 'Thank you,'" Rogen told the crowd. "If it wasn't for theaters like this and people like you guys, this literally would not be f--king happening right now."
"People went nuts," an eyewitness told E! News, regarding Rogen and Goldberg's appearance. "They didn't know that Seth and Evan would be there until it was announced in the theater moments before and that 'special guests' were arriving shortly. They entered from the back patio and straight on to the stage."
"It was already a special event—a wonderful celebration of movie love, freedom of speech, community, and the holiday spirit," Cinefamily Executive Director Hadrian Belove said in a statement. "Seth and Evan's arrival was the star upon our Christmas tree, and it really lit up the night. I'm so glad they were able to join us and feel the magic."
James Franco, who stars with Rogen in the film, also shared some special messages to potential viewers on his Twitter and Instagram pages.
????Merry X-mas MERICA! ????
!!!!!THE INTERVIEW IS LIVE!!!!!!
!!!Watch it here!!!
http://t.co/oQ7YpBZXhY
Thank you SONY!!!!!!!!
? James Franco (@JamesFrancoTV) December 24, 2014—Reporting by Sara Kitnick