Thompson is leading the way on holding men to account
It takes a hell of a lot to make justified allegations against powerful men stick, as countless public #MeToo cases have come to show. And it requires even more effort to encourage the gatekeepers of their careers to hold them accountable for their behaviour.
There are too many examples to list at this point. For every successful public condemnation in which the accused has been forced to take responsibility for what they’ve done, there are dozens more that have, at
least from the outside looking in, completely evaded any responsibility.
Pixar’s John Lasseter, for example. For those struggling to keep up with the barrage of cases of sexual misconduct in showbiz, Lasseter was ousted from Disney last year following allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
The Toy Story director had taken a leave of absence for six months after it came out that Disney insiders had accused him of “grabbing, kissing” and “making comments about physical attributes” in the workplace. Not long after returning from the “sabbatical”, he left the company, only to be swiftly picked up again by Skydance Animation months later.
Despite the inevitable backlash against the decision to hire someone who (beyond a carefully worded apology framing his departure from Disney as his own personal decision to leave) had barely made moves to redeem his public image, yet another man in the throes of a sexual harassment saga had been granted a second chance. Even if he had lost the support of one of the biggest production companies in the world months earlier.
And it looked like he might get away with it, before news broke that one of the stars signed up to voice an animated character in the upcoming Skydance Animation movie Luck – Emma Thompson – had suddenly quit over his involvement in it.
Speaking to Variety, a representative for the actor confirmed that although she had already started recording for the project, Lasseter’s hire had caused Thompson to abandon it. And I support that decision, even if Skydance maintains that after conducting an internal investigation, Lasseter “learned valuable lessons” about the debacle “and is ready to prove his capabilities as a leader and a colleague”.
Without women like her taking a stand, it’s likely that we’ll have the sullied careers of many more men foisted upon us in the near future
This is bigger than his or his employer’s perception of his redemption. It comes in the face of a decision that, in my view at least, seemed to prioritise the industry clout that the former Pixar success brought to Skydance’s new animation arm, rather than the genuine concerns of those who’d lodged accusations against him.
It also drove home the idea that even if accusers do manage to muster the courage speak out against inappropriate behaviour and other abuses of power in the workplace and beyond, the consequences won’t ever be as severe as to have a long-lasting impact on their lives.
Of course, Thompson is in a rare position to be able to do what she did in the first place. She is a Hollywood star, with a name that – like Lasseter’s in the eyes of Skydance – brings money in on its own. She declined to talk any further about the issue, but her actions speak volumes. Without women like her taking a stand, it’s likely that we’ll have the sullied careers of many more men foisted upon us in the near future as they are given the opportunity to reemerge despite the allegations against them.
We’ve already seen – admittedly unsuccessful – attempts at this kind of career revival from the likes of Kevin Spacey. There are others still in the works from Louis CK, permitted to perform on a number of occasions at the New York Comedy Cellar, as well as moves to redeem people like former CBS anchor Charlie Rose, who, shockingly, thought it wise to pitch a show about other men who’d been embroiled in #MeToo scandals. What’s next? A new retail venture called #ImAChangedMan from Philip Green?
If this situation proves anything, it’s that we need to continue to hold perpetrators of inappropriate behaviour accountable, as well as giving accusers the space and support they need to speak out, if we really want to change things on a wider scale. Because underlying the huge Hollywood scandals is the harsh reality that if these men can get away with what they’re doing, what does it say to the many names and cases we don’t and probably won’t ever come to know?