Pixar Boss John Lasseter Is Temporarily Stepping Down After “Missteps” With Women
The man behind all your favourite kids' films is being accused of sexual harassment.
Ooft. After hitting Weinstein, Spacey, Ratner, C.K., Tambor, Westwick, Takei and more, the recent wave of sexual harassment allegations has just crashed on Disney Pixar. The company’s CEO John Lasseter has just taken a six-month leave of absence, right as The Hollywood Reporter was about to drop a story about his alleged unwanted advances on women in the workplace.
*hunger games canon fires* another one https://t.co/bXOuwtPpmr
— A.B. (@AlannaBennett) November 21, 2017
Lasseter has been accused of “grabbing, kissing, making comments about [the] physical attributes” of his female co-workers. Unnamed sources have claimed this behaviour — one particular unwanted advance — caused Rashida Jones to take an early exit from Toy Story 4, where she was working as a writer.
Though co-workers asked for anonymity to protect their jobs, THR report that “the alleged incident was not an isolated occurrence”. According to the story, “Sources say some women at Pixar knew to turn their heads quickly when encountering him to avoid his kisses. Some used a move they called ‘the Lasseter’ to prevent their boss from putting his hands on their legs.”
Before taking his leave of absence, Lasseter issued a memo to Disney staff addressing the allegations. He stated the creative culture of the company was “built on trust and respect” — a system that falls apart if people don’t feel valued. “As a leader, it’s my responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen,” Lasseter said. “And I now believe I have been falling short in this regard.”
“I’ve recently had a number of difficult conversations that have been very painful for me. It’s never easy to face your missteps, but it’s the only way to learn from them… It’s been brought to my attention that I have made some of you feel disrespected or uncomfortable. That was never my intent. Collectively, you mean the world to me, and I deeply apologise if I have let you down. I especially want to apologise to anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape, or form. No matter how benign my intent, everyone has the right to set their own boundaries and have them respected.
“In my conversations with Disney, we are united in our commitment to always treat any concerns you have with the seriousness they deserve, and to address them in an appropriate manner. We also share a desire to reinforce the vibrant, respectful culture that has been the foundation of our studios’ success since the beginning. And we agree the first step in that direction is for me to take some time away to reflect on how to move forward from here.”
Does any story capture the current mood better than “Hey, you know the most beloved children’s films in history? Well, here’s a bunch of sexual harassment allegations.” https://t.co/9Ll0TMU8sD
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) November 21, 2017
Disney has since backed this up saying, “We appreciate John’s candour and sincere apology and fully support his sabbatical”.
A former Pixar employee has not taken it so well, telling THR the statement is “ridiculous”. “To sum this up as unwanted hugs is belittling and demeaning. If it was just unwanted hugs, he wouldn’t be stepping down.”
It’s impossible to overstate how influential Lasseter has been in the US animation scene of the past few decades. He is a co-founder of Pixar, and directed a host of classics including Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and Cars. Lasseter was executive producer of Monsters Inc, Moana, and Up. He has been nominated for a swag of Oscars, winning two. He’s a lead writer on the upcoming Toy Story 4 — a film for which Jones was the only woman with a writing credit.
Rashida Jones denied requests to comment on the original THR report about her exit from the project, but an unnamed studio source said it was due to “creative differences”. Whatever the exact truth of that incident, it’s devastating to think how much work we’re losing from women across all industries due to these kinds of “missteps”.
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Feature image: Toy Story, Flickr CC.