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Emma Thompsonhas quit a project over the hiring of former Pixar headJohn Lasseter, who faced accusations ofsexual misconduct that reportedly involved unwanted hugging and touching.
The 59-year-old actress dropped out of Skydance Animation’s upcoming animated filmLuckafter the company hired Lasseter, her rep confirms to PEOPLE.
Lasseter was brought on as the head of Skydance Animation after exiting Pixar and Disney Animation due to the allegations against him.
A rep for the company did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Luckis an animated comedy that pulls back the curtain on the millennia-old battle between the good luck organization and the bad luck organization that secretly affects our daily lives, according toIMDb.
“John is a singular creative and executive talent whose impact on the animation industry cannot be overstated,” Ellison said in a statement,according toThe Hollywood Reporter. “He was responsible for leading animation into the digital age, while telling incomparable stories that continue to inspire and entertain audiences around the globe.”
His hire came just over a year after Lasseter announced his leave of absence to Pixar staff in a memo that apologized for inappropriate behavior.
Lasseter directedToy StoryandToy Story 2among other Pixar films and produced or executive produced every Pixar project.
The Time’s Up movement immediately criticized Lasseter’s new position ina statement to theHollywood Reporterin January, also adding that Lasseter had not done anything to account for his actions.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
source: people.com
