Was Amy Adams Abused by American Hustle Director David O. Russell?

Actress Amy Adams is believed to have been "abused" by her Oscar-nominated "American Hustle" director David O.Russell, according to a leaked Sony correspondence between Sony Pictures Chairman Michael Lynton and veteran journalist Jonathan Alter.

The email talks about Russell's unruly behaviour, which terrorised the cast and crew of the movie.

"I know [Russell is] brilliant but we have someone on our show who worked closely with him on American Hustle," Alter began, according to Radar Online. "And not only are the stories about him reforming himself total bulls—t but the new stories of his abuse and lunatic behavior are extreme even by Hollywood standards."

Russell "acted so crazy on Hustle that it's another Clooney situation where a lot of people won't work with him again," the veteran journalist claimed.

"He grabbed one guy by the collar, cursed out people repeatedly in front of others and so abused Amy Adams that Christian Bale got in his face and told him to stop acting like an asshole," Atler alleged.

"He treated the crew like s—t, demanded his own bathroom at all times and frightened people, as he famously had on Three Kings."

Adams is yet to speak about the alleged abuse by Russell, with whom she has previously worked in "The Fighter" in 2010.

Meanwhile, another email discussed the incident in 2011 when Russell groped his teen transgendered niece, Nicole Peloquin. At the time Russell did admit to feeling his niece's breasts, but claimed that she had provoked him to do so. Reportedly, Peloquin was "acting very provocative toward him" and invited him to feel her breasts. And he complied as he was "curious about the breast enhancement."

These claims of "abuse" were made in the emails leaked online by hackers who on Wednesday succeeded in getting the demand to cancel "The Interview," a movie revolving around an attempt to assassinate North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

The hackers threatened violence against anyone who would venture out to watch the movie, and this prompted Sony to cancel the Christmas premiere of "The Interview."