The writers of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (4.5 billion dollar total gross!) talked about how Disney gave them lifetime park passes...and then unilaterally revoked them one day. The pettiness surrounding talent & the parks is strangely consistent & on-brand for them. https://twitter.com/THR/status/1318964766942105600

When Ash & I sold The Feynman Chronicles to Disney back in like 2006, they were being difficult about money & Ash, who LOVES Disneyland, said "How about they throw in park passes instead?" & we got back a very stern "They don't do that for ANYONE."

Some people are framing the issue as Rhimes being a rich person asking for a freebie, but it's not that at all. When you bring millions & millions in value to a big entertainment company, you want to feel valued in return, & that's a tangible way to show it.

I think I've told the story before about working in a spare office in the Fox executive building & overhearing a major producer SCREAMING at an assistant because she couldn't have a space in front of Building 88 (there was construction going on...)

At the time I thought it was absurd--walk an extra 100 steps, big deal--but while the producer was absolutely wrong to blow up at the blameless assistant, she was responding to something very real--the ways in which status are measured & expressed in Hollywood.

So when she was told, "sorry, there isn't a space for you in front of building 88," what she heard was "You don't rate anymore. You've been demoted in our eyes." This is a crazy, crazy business.