Hollywood anti-harassment organization Time’s Up condemned Skydance’s hiring of Pixar founder John Lasseter in a statement released Wednesday.
Lasseter left Walt Disney Animation and Pixar in 2017 following accusations of sexual misconduct made in a story published by The Hollywood Reporter, with “former Pixar insiders” saying he frequently made a habit of “grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes” of women at the company.
“Skydance Media’s decision to hire John Lasseter as head of animation endorses and perpetuates a broken system that allows powerful men to act without consequence. At a moment when we should be uplifting the many talented voices who are consistently underrepresented, Skydance Media is providing another position of power, prominence and privilege to a man who has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace,” Time’s Up said.
“People often ask when a man who has abused his power ‘gets’ to ‘come back.’ There is no simple answer. But here are a few first steps: 1) Demonstrate true remorse. 2) Work deeply to reform your behavior. 3) Deliver restitution to those you harmed. That’s the bare minimum.”
“Hiring decisions have consequences,” the statement adds. “And offering a high-profile position to an abuser who has yet to do any of those things is condoning abuse.”
Skydance is expanding into animation with four projects in development, though only one is slated for release in 2021. In a statement announcing Lasseter’s hire, Skydance CEO David Ellison said the studio “did not enter into this decision lightly.”
“John has acknowledged and apologized for his mistakes and, during the past year away from the workplace, has endeavored to address and reform them,” Ellison said.