Emma Thompson's letter shows what happens when a powerful woman decides to wield her influence
In a letter to Skydance Media, Emma Thompson outlined why she was withdrawing from the animated film"Luck" and would refuse to work with former Pixar executive John Lasseter. By Steven Zeitchik Steven Zeitchik Reporter covering the business of entertainment in the U.S. and beyond Email Bio Follow February 28 at 2:18 PM Last summer, as former Disney-Pixar chief John Lasseter found himself in a vastly diminished role at the company, he requested a meeting at the agency WME.
“It feels very odd to me that you and your company would consider hiring someone with Mr. Lasseter’s pattern of misconduct given the present climate,” Thompson wrote in the letter, which was published in the Los Angeles Times.
And at heart in Thompson’s comments is what happens when a woman with power to stop that comeback decides to wield it. In a closely scrutinized move, Disney put him on a six-month leave. In June, at the end of that period, the company said he would serve as a consultant through the end of the year, when he would leave the company. At the time, Lasseter said that “the last six months have provided an opportunity to reflect on my life, career and personal priorities.
He added, “And he has given his assurance that he will comport himself in a wholly professional manner that is the expectation of every Skydance colleague and partner.” Some in Hollywood quietly wondered how talent could now be attracted to Skydance if a respected executive with which it had a corporate relationship was already expressing discomfort publicly. Soria did not immediately reply to a request for comment on this story.Activists greeted the Thompson news with a note of celebration. “The minute I read it I thought it was a game-changer,” said Melissa Silverstein, head of the influential feminist entertainment organization Women and Hollywood.
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