Emma Thompson quits movie over Lasseter's hiring

February 26, 2019 12:10 PM

Her explanation is direct

Back in January, ex-Pixar head and serial sexual abuser John Lasseter (previously) was hired to lead Skydance Animation. A month later, Emma Thompson quit a new movie the studio was making. Today, the LA Times published the letter she sent the studio.

From her letter:
"Much has been said about giving John Lasseter a “second chance.” But he is presumably being paid millions of dollars to receive that second chance. How much money are the employees at Skydance being paid to GIVE him that second chance?"

Alternate AV Club link

posted by Gorgik (53 comments total)

LEGENDARY.
posted by praemunire at 12:15 PM on February 26, 2019 [46 favorites]

I always thought she's a great actor, but this is scorching stuff:

Skydance [Studio] has revealed that no women received settlements from Pixar or Disney as a result of being harassed by John Lasseter. But given all the abuse that’s been heaped on women who have come forward to make accusations against powerful men, do we really think that no settlements means that there was no harassment or no hostile work environment? Are we supposed to feel comforted that women who feel that their careers were derailed by working for Lasseter DIDN’T receive money?

Excellent use of star power, Ms. Thompson.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:17 PM on February 26, 2019 [94 favorites]

*drops mic*
posted by Fizz at 12:17 PM on February 26, 2019 [6 favorites]

Yup, the compensation I've received for my troubles ridding a few organizations of Very Bad Men is a cup of coffee. Thank you Emma.
posted by wellred at 12:28 PM on February 26, 2019 [14 favorites]

I’m glad she came around from the Roman Polanksi bullshit.

You have to imagine there are few people in Hollywood who realistically get to choose who they work with. I’d like to see more of them exercising that choice like this. (Fucking Amy Poehler, looking at you.)
posted by schadenfrau at 12:35 PM on February 26, 2019 [6 favorites]

love her!
posted by supermedusa at 12:36 PM on February 26, 2019

"...the studio said he’d “given his assurance that he will comport himself in a wholly professional manner.” That may have been enough for the shareholders, but it wasn’t for Thompson."

And now we wait for at least two things:
1) The impact on share value of A-list talent quitting your projects because of shitty work environments; and,
2) Who would be willing to step into Dame Emma's now-vacated radioactive spot.

Good for her. She has that power. Only so many women don't.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:43 PM on February 26, 2019 [10 favorites]

Amy Poehler, looking at you

Hold up, what did we miss with Poehler vis a vis #metoo?
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:44 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

Much has been said about giving John Lasseter a “second chance.” But he is presumably being paid millions of dollars to receive that second chance. How much money are the employees at Skydance being paid to GIVE him that second chance?

This is a central rebuttal to the "second chancers". I'm a great believer that both abusers should be required to make genuine efforts to repair their behaviour, and that they should have a way to do that, that doesn't mean they should expect do so from another position of privilege. I'm sure his new employees didn't sign up for that.

Why should he not have to start from the bottom and prove himself trustworthy? Did his new reports all agree in advance to be his "test subjects" and therapy assistants? I kind of think not.
posted by bonehead at 12:50 PM on February 26, 2019 [23 favorites]

Lasseter was outed as a serial harasser in November 2017. Since then, three movies have come out with him credited as an executive producer. Two more will come out this year. So yeah, maybe he gets to sit the fuck down for just a little longer.
posted by Etrigan at 1:02 PM on February 26, 2019 [21 favorites]

I love Emma Thompson, she is so damn awesome
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:22 PM on February 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

After announcing the hire, Ellison sent a long email to staff, noting that Lasseter was contractually obligated to behave professionally...

Phwaaa?
Mmghaaax?
Rrrrrrrr%&$#?!?

"Well, my contract didn't specifically say I couldn't burn the building down!"
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:28 PM on February 26, 2019 [30 favorites]

Hold up, what did we miss with Poehler vis a vis #metoo?

Chris Pratt belongs to an anti-LGBT megachurch, Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct, Rob Lowe made a sex tape with a teenager...
posted by box at 1:32 PM on February 26, 2019 [10 favorites]

Bravo!
posted by cool breeze at 1:34 PM on February 26, 2019

Poehler continues to work with Dave Becky, former Louis CK manager who offered the weakest sauce of apologies and claims he knew nothing, while several of CK's victims say he pressured them to not talk.

He kind of ruins the fervor I wanted to have for Russian Doll.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:37 PM on February 26, 2019 [20 favorites]

Same, Lyn Never. Plus the Aziz Ansari redemption tour or whatever that asshole is up to. (ETA: Ansari is still Becky’s client, I believe.) Also, Aziz Ansari wasn’t accused of “sexual misconduct,” it was assault.

Any Poehler is one of the few people that almost certainly can choose who to work with, and she’s choosing to continue working with Dave Becky. Pamela Adlon fired him, and that could very well be the end of her career, because Dave Becky is a very successful and influential manager / producer. That was why it’s utterly unbelievable that he didn’t “realize” telling women not to talk about being assaulted by his clients could be perceived as threatening. I mean, total bullshit. You don’t become successful in Hollywood without understanding how to wield power and influence. He is a garbage person, who actively works to protect predators.

There’s still so many of them.
posted by schadenfrau at 1:45 PM on February 26, 2019 [28 favorites]

Also? Michael Schur acknowledged that he knew there were rumors about Louis CK when he hired him for Parks and Rec and he’s apologized. Poehler’s been in comedy forever; there’s no way she didn’t know those same rumors.

Anyway. I’d like to see more Thompson turns.
posted by schadenfrau at 1:48 PM on February 26, 2019 [10 favorites]

For context, here is the memo that David Ellison, Skydance CEO sent to staff when Lasseter was hired.
posted by w0mbat at 2:03 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

Kevin Hart, Hannibal Buress, and Bill Burr also seem to still be working with Dave Becky. Why is Amy Poehler the only one getting called out?
posted by parallellines at 2:24 PM on February 26, 2019 [27 favorites]

Chris Pratt belongs to an anti-LGBT megachurch, Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct...

I don't get what either of these things has to do with Amy Poehler, as Parks & Rec was over by the time both of them came to light.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:29 PM on February 26, 2019 [27 favorites]

"Much has been said about giving John Lasseter a “second chance.” But he is presumably being paid millions of dollars to receive that second chance. How much money are the employees at Skydance being paid to GIVE him that second chance?"

His second chance was the second woman he harassed. He's had his second chance, and his third, and his fourth. But apparently, he always deserves another...
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:30 PM on February 26, 2019 [15 favorites]

Yeeeears ago Annie Liebowitz did a photo of Emma Thompson for the cover of a magazine - Emma dressed in a suit of armor posing as a 90s Joan of Arc. I thought it was one of Liebowitz's best works.

Things like this are why.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:56 PM on February 26, 2019 [24 favorites]

I don't get what either of these things has to do with Amy Poehler

Why is Amy Poehler the only one getting called out?

I've got a pretty good idea
posted by Merus at 2:58 PM on February 26, 2019 [39 favorites]

I see a bunch of callouts in this thread, but Poehler continues to work with and defend predators over and over when she has the power to be an agent of change, just like Emma Thompson just did.

I have no expectation that men will ever step up for women, so it does in fact leave it to powerful women in the industry to do it.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:01 PM on February 26, 2019 [14 favorites]

I'm not fundamentally opposed to giving people who have sincerely reformed and made amends^* a second chance... after all other qualified individuals have gotten a first chance.

^*Not saying Lasseter is such a person
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:02 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

Kevin Hart, Hannibal Buress, and Bill Burr also seem to still be working with Dave Becky. Why is Amy Poehler the only one getting called out?

Because I have zero expectations for Kevin Hart or Bill fucking Burr (come on), and neither of them have sold books or shows on the basis of their feminist brand. Hannibal Burress is disappointing as fuck, but his career also doesn’t seem to be quite at Poehler’s level. I’m not intimately familiar with Dave Becky’s client list, but last time I googled it Amy Poehler was one of the only people that seemed like she could afford to tell him to fuck off.

And yeah, of course it is more disappointing when the woman who made a thing out of Galentine’s Day doesn’t support women. Feminism has been a part of her brand for a long time. This is deeply analogous to arguments about, say, closeted Republicans, and I am just as deeply uninterested in rehashing them. Yes, it does hurt more, on a personal level, when women abet the patriarchy; no, that does not make it worse than when men do it; yes, we should call it out when people advance their careers on the basis of principles they don’t actually practice. That last one is uniquely Poehler.
posted by schadenfrau at 3:27 PM on February 26, 2019 [22 favorites]

Fascinating sidelight to Purl. Or it provides more context to being a woman animator at Pixar. Or something.
posted by aurelian at 3:28 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

This is a wonderful thing Emma Thompson has done. She's setting an excellent example, and I hope there will be lots of people who follow her example.

I love the wording of her letter and the way she's handled the whole thing:

I realise that the situation — involving as it does many human beings — is complicated. However these are the questions I would like to ask:
...
I hope these queries make the level of my discomfort understandable. I regret having to step away because I love Alessandro so much and think he is an incredibly creative director. But I can only do what feels right during these difficult times of transition and collective consciousness raising.

She acknowledges that everything having to do with humans is complicated.

She phrases the issues in terms of pointed questions, which shifts the trajectory of the conversation she's having (and ending!) with Skydance; being on the receiving end of a question (even just reading it, as we are) naturally leads the brain to try to answer that question, and highlights the fact that these questions were not ever considered, at all, by those who hired Lassiter, when clearly they should have been. But she makes clear that she is not requesting answers; the very questions themselves illustrate that her own discomfort is great enough to make her give up a job she clearly wanted.

I can only do what feels right during these difficult times of transition and collective consciousness raising.

She acknowledges that it's difficult for individuals to know what to do, and that things are changing, and we are all becoming more aware. Someday she may look back and think this was a rash move, or think it wasn't radical enough - it's hard to know what the best choice is, when all you have are bad choices. But it's important to her (maybe essential) to do what feels right, as best she can.

I am also aware that if people who have spoken out — like me — do not take this sort of a stand then things are very unlikely to change at anything like the pace required to protect my daughter’s generation.

I wasn't aware she had a daughter. I wondered how old her daughter is. Her daughter is about 20 years old (rough estimate from reading Wikipedia) - so, old enough to be entering the workforce.

And because all of her questions focus on the employees, plural, at Skydance ("the women at his new company," "the employees at Skydance," "any Skydance employees ... have to stay and be uncomfortable or lose their jobs"), she is able to put the focus on them, and everything they stand to lose, everything they are being asked to put up with, without being patronizing.

I just really love her statement, and the fact that she's choosing not to comment further. She said what she has to say.

I would love to see Lasseter let go, and see her come back to the project. But now that she's asked these questions about this case, the questions are out there, in everyone's mind, for the NEXT time someone wants to put a serial harasser into a position of power.

If John Lasseter started his own company, then every employee would have been given the opportunity to choose whether or not to give him a second chance. But any Skydance employees who don't want to give him a second chance have to stay and be uncomfortable or lose their jobs. Shouldn’t it be John Lasseter who has to lose HIS job if the employees don’t want to give him a second chance?

That's the million-dollar question, and it applies to anyone who has mistreated others. I, too, believe in second chances. But every person Lasseter ever wants to work with in the future should get to make their own choice about whether to give him a chance. The "if he started his own company" phrase points that out perfectly.
posted by kristi at 3:56 PM on February 26, 2019 [52 favorites]

from John Lasseter’s six-month leave of absence is almost up — but return to Pixar not likely (Nicole Bitette and Rachel DeSantis, NY Daily News)

Lasseter was nicknamed "King John" due to his behavior, and could be "mean" and "vindictive" while drinking, according to the report — causing head investor Steve Jobs and close confident Joe Ranft to become concerned.

"The only person who could give John notes was Steve Jobs," a source said of the Apple co-founder, then a majority shareholder in Pixar.

Jobs died of cancer in 2011, but reportedly warned Lasseter to cut the drinking and shed some weight for fear that he would drop dead of a heart attack.

"Steve tried. But then Steve got sicker. He wasn't around anymore," a high-ranking executive said.

posted by ZeusHumms at 4:15 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Pamela Adlon fired him, and that could very well be the end of her career, because Dave Becky is a very successful and influential manager / producer.

Counterpoint, this very recent interview with her on Fresh Air, talking about her Season 3 of "Better Things." She also talks about Louis C.K. in a very interesting way that is clearly still very painful for her. It's painful for Terry Gross, too, as she was absolutely a fan. As was I. But...I love Pamela Adlon so much more.
posted by amanda at 4:39 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Rob Lowe made a sex tape with a teenager

Well yeah, over 30 years ago in Georgia, with a woman who was legally of age. The videotaping itself was the only dodgy area legally.
posted by w0mbat at 4:50 PM on February 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

Hail Emma Thompson!

We need more of this in the world.
posted by honey badger at 5:06 PM on February 26, 2019

schadenfrau, FWIW Thompson "came around from the Roman Polanski bullshit" shortly after signing the petition in 2009 and had her name removed.
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:14 PM on February 26, 2019 [13 favorites]

After announcing the hire, Ellison sent a long email to staff, noting that Lasseter was contractually obligated to behave professionally...

That's one of those things where if you have to say it at all, you know there is a serious problem.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:44 PM on February 26, 2019 [8 favorites]

I didn't realize how many women were involved in the making of "Russian Doll." This Vanity Fair article asks the question about Dave Becky's involvement:

In light of this overtly feminist approach, I had to ask her about Dave Becky’s role as a co-executive producer on the series. He is Lyonne and Poehler’s manager, but he also came under fire for allegedly helping another client, Louis C.K., suppress accusations of sexual misconduct. (Becky later dropped C.K. as a client and issued an apology for what was “perceived” as threatening behavior.) Lyonne looked nauseous at the question and, after an hour of fluid conversation, suddenly found herself struggling for words.

“He’s always been a part of this project and helped get it made,” she said, rubbing her face agitatedly. “I think that whole situation was an awful thing and he’s aware that it is.” After starting and halting sentences several times, Lyonne continued, “It’s all a minefield to talk about, because I don’t really know. I will say that I’m thrilled that we’re kind of unpacking the burial ground that is society. I really am glad that that’s happening, and, within that, discussing each situation individually on its own.”

I think we can't underestimate how patriarchal the gatekeeper role is, still, in society. It may be in some cases mythical but it's highly believable. And it happens all the time that a man will give someone a boost and with or without merit, that person will get a seat at the table. On the flip side, all the time a man will decide with a shake his head, and that seat is gone, vanished. Further, people who manage people in the entertainment industry are people-people. They forge relationships; they create intimacy. There's lots of professions like this and once you get turned on by this kind of person, you really have to turn back on a part of yourself to recognize that they might be a bad person. Maybe they are a good person for you at the same time they are bad for other people. So, while he did a job of Louis C.K., he was also doing a job for lots of other people.
posted by amanda at 5:47 PM on February 26, 2019 [7 favorites]

I have no expectation that men will ever step up for women, so it does in fact leave it to powerful women in the industry to do it.

This is a 100% fair take, but every time I see it expressed so baldly I'm reminded of my freedom to do, condone, and ignore whatever I want without fear or favor, having been judged, damned, and deemed irredeemable and entirely free as long as I don't talk too much about it. I have this great freedom granted to me by people. I would really rather not have it because it does me no favors but at the same time it suggests I should feel no guilt over any failing to step up. A little less guilt always feels like a gift.
posted by Going To Maine at 7:03 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Anyhoo, good job Emma Thompson, 100% aces.
posted by Going To Maine at 7:04 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Rob Lowe made a sex tape with a teenager

Well yeah, over 30 years ago in Georgia, with a woman who was legally of age. The videotaping itself was the only dodgy area legally.

Yeah...being about 2 degrees of separation from this at the time, I kinda went "really?".

I honestly don't know what despicable shit Rob Lowe may or may not have done in the intervening time (shilling for fad diets notwithstanding). I wouldn't be surprised if he's a lifetime asshole; he obviously used "I'm Rob Lowe, movie star" to get what he wanted and that sounds like a pattern. But are we really saying that not only can no transgression ever be redeemed and the offender must be shunned in perpetually, but anyone who associates with the offender must also be shunned?

I dunno. Seems like the definition of "[sarcasm]no way that could go wrong[/sarcasm]".
posted by kjs3 at 7:43 PM on February 26, 2019 [6 favorites]

I'm reminded of my freedom to do, condone, and ignore whatever I want without fear or favor, having been judged, damned, and deemed irredeemable and entirely free as long as I don't talk too much about it. I have this great freedom granted to me by people.

It may interest you to know that it's possible to have moral responsibilities independent of what people expect of you.
posted by praemunire at 8:05 PM on February 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

Rob Lowe made a sex tape with a teenager

Well yeah, over 30 years ago in Georgia, with a woman who was legally of age.

"Thou hast committed..."

"Fornication? But that was in another country. And besides, the wench is dead."
posted by panglos at 8:26 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

It may interest you to know that it's possible to have moral responsibilities independent of what people expect of you.

Oof, that's a deep supposition, even if I tend to agree.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:31 PM on February 26, 2019

Now I'm going to toss and turn all night long! Bah.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:58 PM on February 26, 2019

You know, opening this thread, I thought to myself, "I wonder how many comments it will take before someone rips Emma Thompson for somehow not doing this perfectly?" And then I thought, "Well, that's uncharitable of me," but really, it seems I was being overly optimistic in believing that the tear-downs wouldn't be extended to women unconnected to the subject at hand.

And look, just to address the stuff about calling out women because we can't realistically expect men to speak up against this kind of thing: if you are *literally* holding women to a higher standard than men, you might be part of the problem.
posted by Meow Face at 9:31 PM on February 26, 2019 [30 favorites]

kristi: "The "if he started his own company" phrase points that out perfectly."

Lasseter starting his own company isn't a solution because if the company is successful you've got a company where women can't work pulling a bunch of contracts. If he is going to work in the industry it is probably better he be some place with over sight rather than someplace where he is running the show.

However that is a pretty big if. Lasseter is supposedly worth ~$100 million; he has no need to work to live very comfortably and the industry should be shunning him without a lick of guilt.

And holy fuck if Steve "never met a person he wouldn't rip off" Jobs is telling you you've got a meanness problem you should pay attention.
posted by Mitheral at 10:21 PM on February 26, 2019 [8 favorites]

I'm not disappointed in Poehler simply because I expect more from women. I've had that one turned on me too many times. I'm disappointed because I've always looked up to her as a woman who had no time for sexist fuckery and the fuckers who purvey it.

When I heard the story about her telling off Jimmy Fallon in the SNL wtiters' room because he kept telling her to stop doing something he didn't find "cute," I thought, well, damn, here's a woman who's going to make it big in spite of all the garbage women in the business get thrown at them.

Now that she has made it big, and can choose who works with/for her, it is surprising to me that she chooses men like the ones who tried to shut her up when she was coming up the ranks.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:23 PM on February 26, 2019 [11 favorites]

I don’t know, being unable to do feminism perfectly has always been a feature, not a bug, for naysayers of feminism/feminists. In Poehler’s case it seems to be another way we hold women more accountable for men’s fuckery than we hold men, as if we don’t shoulder enough of that burden already. I am disappointed at Amy Poehler, but why do men get let off easily (lazily)? Especially when, TBQH, sexual harassment and #MeToo issues are more, if not entirely men’s problem to fix. I am also reminded of Gloria Steinem’s quote about a pedestal being another type of prison for women.
posted by JLovebomb at 12:13 AM on February 27, 2019 [24 favorites]

Lasseter was outed as a serial harasser in November 2017. Since then, three movies have come out with him credited as an executive producer. Two more will come out this year. So yeah, maybe he gets to sit the fuck down for just a little longer.

Yet these movies are still getting a full release with nary a boycott in sight.
posted by fairmettle at 12:16 AM on February 27, 2019

Those two movies are Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4, the latter of which he has a story credit on a well. I don't know how you lose those credits - if they can be stripped from you, etc. - but if they can't, the boycott campaign will take some fearsome energy. Go hard, everyone.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:11 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

And look, just to address the stuff about calling out women because we can't realistically expect men to speak up against this kind of thing: if you are *literally* holding women to a higher standard than men, you might be part of the problem.

Is not bothering to call out men in a metafilter comment actually holding them to a different standard? Going to Maine calls less guilt a sort of gift, but personally I don't find being presumed to be lacking to feel like any sort of kindness. I'm not complaining, mind - why should women think we'll be any better based on all evidence? But it's not exactly the warming glow of praise.

I think there's a difference between having different standards and having different people who are worth commenting on. If it was a difference in who you'd be willing to work with that's one thing, but I don't think any of us here are deciding about taking gigs with Poehler or Hart. For my part it's just that between the two I sure didn't expect any better from Hart.
posted by phearlez at 8:40 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

"Those two movies are Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4, the latter of which he has a story credit on a well. I don't know how you lose those credits - if they can be stripped from you, etc. - but if they can't, the boycott campaign will take some fearsome energy. Go hard, everyone."

Hey, fuck Disney for infinity reasons, always down to continue never giving them money. Well, I like to think that anyway but they've gotten to the point where they own most media and are always working to own the rest. At some point, boycotting Disney will mean boycotting almost every TV show, movie, and videogame.
posted by GoblinHoney at 11:58 AM on February 27, 2019

This whole episode has taught me that Emma Thompson and Emma Watson are two different people.
posted by Metro Gnome at 1:17 PM on February 27, 2019 [5 favorites]

Thompson would have made a great Hermione, though of course she was her usual capable self in the Sybil Trelawney 'consolation' role.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:58 PM on February 27, 2019

Hey, fuck Disney for infinity reasons

Yeah, I'm mad about them cancelling the Disney Infinity game, too.

(or are you upset about that Avengers movie?)
posted by straight at 5:44 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]