November 22, 2017
Actress-writer Rashida Jones has denied quitting "Toy
Story 4" over unwanted advances from John Lasseter Pixar, co-founder and Walt
Disney Animation chief.
Jones said in a statement to eonline.com that she
and her long time writing partner Will McCormack exited the project, which they
were signed on to co-write, because of issues pertaining to gender and race
inequality at Pixar.
Jones said: "We did not leave Pixar because of
unwanted advance. That is untrue. We parted ways because of creative and, more
importantly philosophical differences. There is so much talent at Pixar and we
remain enormous fans of their films.
"However, it is also a culture where
women and people of colour do not have an equal creative voice, as demonstrated
by their director demographics: out of the 20 films in the company's history
only one was co-created by a woman and only one was directed by a person of
colour."
Jones said that they encourage Pixar to be the "leaders in
bolstering, hiring, and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and
leaders".
"We hope we can encourage all those who have felt like their
voices could not be heard in the past to feel empowered."
Pixar has
issued a statement supporting Lasseter's decision to take a six-month sabbatical
in the wake of the allegations.
"I have always wanted our animation
studios to be places where creators can explore their vision with the support
and collaboration of other gifted animators and storytellers," Lasseter said in
an email obtained by eonline.com.
"This kind of creative culture takes
constant vigilance to maintain. It's built on trust and respect, and it becomes
fragile if any members of the team don't feel valued. As a leader, it's my
responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen; and I now believe I have been
falling short in this regard."
He continued: "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."