In a letter addressed to Skydance Animation executives, the 'Saving Mr. Banks' actress stresses that she feels the need to take action over their controversial move to 'protect her daughter's generation.'

• Feb 27, 2019

AceShowbiz - Emma Thompson has slammed Skydance Animation bosses' decision to hire John Lasseter in a letter outlining why she quit their movie "Luck".

Lasseter was ousted as Pixar and Disney Animation chief last year (2018) after acknowledging allegations of workplace sexual misconduct, but was controversially hired to head Skydance's own animation division in January.

Thompson was due to voice a character in the studio's highly touted new feature "Luck", but has now confirmed she quit earlier this month over the shamed animation legend's involvement by passing a furious letter she wrote to executives to the Los Angeles Times.

"As you know, I have pulled out of the production of "Luck" - to be directed by the very wonderful Alessandro Carloni," her missive read. "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 in which people with the kind of power that you have can reasonably be expected to step up to the plate."

After acknowledging that the situation was "complicated" she outlined several bullet point queries, which asked why women would want to work with Lasseter if he was only behaving due to his contract, and why he should get a "second chance" while being paid far more than women forced to work with him.

In her final question, she expressed anger that Skydance revealed no women working at Pixar or Disney received settlements for alleged harassment by the "Toy Story" filmmaker, adding: "Are we supposed to feel comforted that women who feel that their careers were derailed by working for Lasseter DIDN'T receive money?"

In a letter she sent to Skydance management, Emma Thompson acknowledged the complications caused by a star withdrawing from a project. But in the end, she wrote, the questions raised by the John Lasseter hire made it impossible for her to stay in the film. https://t.co/JCjuL2MedH

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 26, 2019

The 59-year-old actress expressed "regret" she would no longer be working with Carloni, but concluded that she had to take a stand to help end, "centuries of entitlement to women's bodies" and protect her 19-year-old daughter Gaia's generation.

After being hired by Skydance, Lasseter apologised again for his past actions, while his new boss David Ellison wrote in a statement that he had, "endeavored to address and reform them."