Los Angeles, Feb 27 (IANS): Actress Emma Thompson says she walked out of Alessandro Carloni's animated movie "Luck" due to John Lasseter's sexual harassment scandal.

Thompson penned a letter to Skydance Animation, who hired animation chief Lasseter, stating her discomfort working with Lasseter had forced her to quit the film, reports variety.com.

"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.

"If John Lasseter started his own company, then every employee would have been given the opportunity to choose whether or not to give him a second chance. But any Skydance employees who don't want to give him a second chance have to stay and be uncomfortable or lose their jobs. Shouldn't it be John Lasseter who has to lose his job if the employees don't want to give him a second chance...," she wrote.

Lasseter left Pixar Animation Studios because of sexual harassment allegations. And the management company, which is behind the movie "Luck", defended their decision to hire the animator.

Though Thompson regrets stepping away from her role, she will stand by her decision.

"I regret having to step away because I love Alessandro so much and think he is an incredibly creative director. But I can only do what feels right during these difficult times of transition and collective consciousness raising.

"I am well aware that centuries of entitlement to women's bodies whether they like it or not is not going to change overnight. Or in a year. But I am also aware that if people who have spoken out - like me - do not take this sort of a stand then things are very unlikely to change at anything like the pace required to protect my daughter's generation."