They may be in direct competition with each other this awards season, but when it comes to taking flak from the U.S. Senate, Lincoln screenwriter Tony Kushner and Zero Dark Thirty screenwriter Mark Boal are on the same team.
Responding to the letter that U.S. Senators John McCain, Dianne Feinstein, and Carl Levin wrote to Sony Pictures chastising them for (supposedly) endorsing torture in Zero Dark Thirty, Kushner signed his name (along with 28 others) to a letter chastising McCain, Feinstein, and Levin for attempting to exert their influence on the film industry.
“History demonstrates, in particular the 1950s McCarthy period, that government officials should not employ their official status and power to attempt to censor, alter or pressure artists to change their expressions, believes [sic], presentations of facts or political viewpoints,” the letter said.
Strong words. Of course, the fact that Kushner and the 28 others didn’t bother to proof read the letter before signing it dilutes the impact somewhat, but hey, he’s a screenwriter (the one type of writer that doesn’t have to worry about typos), so what did you expect?
