John Leguizamo tells Paramount chief David Ellison to 'do the right thing' over Warner Bros. deal
“Come on, Dave. Do the right thing.”
John Leguizamo aimed that appeal at Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison on Friday, 2 October, while being honoured with the Career Achievement Award at the Critics Choice Association’s 6th Annual Celebración of Cinema & Television, according to Variety. He was speaking about the planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. His message was short. Think beyond profit.
“Don’t just think of yourself and your pocket. Think of what Americans need and what the industry needs,” Leguizamo said, according to Variety. He urged Ellison to weigh what workers and audiences need as he takes charge of the enlarged Skydance. The room responded with applause.
The row centres on Paramount Skydance’s intended acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, valued at 111 billion US dollars, according to ANI News. Ellison heads Paramount Skydance, while David Zaslav leads Warner Bros., according to ANI News. A deal on that scale would put two large Hollywood studio operations under one owner.
Leguizamo was one of more than 4,000 film and television stars and creatives who signed an open letter in April opposing the pending acquisition, according to Variety. The letter was published by the New York Times and posted at BlocktheMerger.com, according to Variety. Other signatories included Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Kristen Stewart, Robert De Niro, Pedro Pascal, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda and David Fincher, according to Variety.
Part of the merger terms bar a sale of the Paramount Studios or Warner Bros. lots in California for at least five years, according to Variety. A studio lot is the working home base where films and shows are shot, with sound stages, backlots and offices. Leguizamo said that time-limited protection does not go far enough.
He described the five-year ban on selling studio lots as “still not enough” because it has an end date and expiration date, according to Variety. “The industry belongs in L.A.,” he said, according to Variety. He called to support, grow and rebuild it, not subtract.
What makes this stand out is the setting. Award acceptances often stick to thanks. Leguizamo used his minutes on stage to speak directly to the man who would run the combined company, and to frame the fight as one about jobs and place.
