In an interesting turn of events, there has been a sudden shift in the regime over at the Marvel Studios. The long-time executive of the Studios, Victoria Alonso, has taken her leave from the superhero universe. The reasons are still unclear as to why she left the company she has been a part of for so many years, i.e. the first ever Iron Man movie.
Despite the fact that Victoria Alonso was once named People en Espanol Magazine’s Most Influential Hispanic Woman (2019 and 2020), fans are quite relieved that she isn’t going to be a part of the Marvel Studios anymore. You might be wondering why fans are celebrating her exit, especially since she has been with the Studio through it all. Well, the toxic work environment at the Studios might have something to do with that.
Victoria Alonso Responsible for Marvel’s Toxic Environment?
There have been a lot of reports about Marvel Studios maintaining a toxic work environment for its employees, often overworking and underpaying them. Victoria Alonso was the President of Physical, Post Production, VFX, and Animation for seventeen years. So when the abrupt exit took place, there were some questions and some eyebrows raised for sure. There are speculations that she might have been asked to step down from her role. Why? Well, NY Magazine’s senior reporter, Chris Lee, might have the answer to that.
Post Alonso’s exit, Lee took to Twitter to shed a light on the ordeal, listing statements that painted Alonso in a horrible light. According to Lee, Alonso was majorly responsible for the toxic environment at the Studios. Continuing the thread, the reporter stated that Alonso held a “crazy amount of power” which put the steering wheel of all major decisions in her hand. Apparently, a tech told Lee that everyone was pretty scared of Alonso. The tech also added that if someone was in Alonso’s good books, they would end up getting all the opportunities, whereas the rest would be “frozen out.”
Check out the entire thread below:
She held a crazy amount of power, bigfooting all major creative decisions on Marvel movies and shows. "Kevin Feige and Victoria Alonso personally approve every single shot, all the visual effects work, which is usually the job of a director or a show runner," one tech told me.
— Chris Lee (@__ChrisLee) March 20, 2023
This is definitely a shocker, although it’s difficult to understand how a person can single-handedly cause such a wreck at a company. Alonso’s exit and the blame for toxicity come alongside the rise of Ben Affleck’s new company which is all set to change how things work in Hollywood.
How Ben Affleck is Revolutionizing Hollywood
Affleck is a brilliant actor. There is no doubt about that. However, his talents as a filmmaker are something to not overlook, either. He even won the Best Picture Academy Award for Argo, a film he directed and starred in.
Turning it a notch higher, Affleck is joining hands with his old friend, Matt Damon, for their new production company – Artists Equity. The company has been built on the ideology that any profits made will be shared among everyone involved in the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this includes the actors, directors, producers, and the rest of the crew members, including cinematographers and costume designers.
Amidst the growing toxicity in the entertainment industry, this is the right step in the right direction. While Affleck will be the CEO of the company, Damon will play the role of the Chief Creative Officer. We sure have high hopes for Damon, Affleck, and Artists Equity! The company’s first project, Air, will see Affleck as the director and will revolve around Michael Jordan‘s iconic partnership with Nike.
Air will release in theatres on April 5.
Source: Chris Lee; The Hollywood Reporter
