Reposted by Sean Morrow
interesting that conservatives were militantly “we must reward hustle” when the target was affirmative action at elite universities and now, when faced with the success of south asians and other groups, it is “i think we are too meritocratic”
![Screenshot of 2010 Deadline article by Nikki Finke reading "So I’ve got to ask: If Taylor Lautner was supposed to be paid $7.5 million to co-star in David Ellison’s Northern Lights, then what’s Liam Hemsworth worth now to play the same role? Say, half? A quarter? The project by the son of Oracle’s Larry Ellison has seen several young actors pass ever since Taylor dropped out. “It’s scaring some actors off because David has written himself a big role in the movie which he’s also financing,” an insider tells me. [Ellison’s people say he is not financing the pic, just producing it.] “What, you’re going to work for your co-star who doesn’t have a big body of work? I’ve never seen anything like this before.” You may recall that Lautner was being paid per ab, making the then 17-year-old the highest paid Hollywood teen. Northern Lights was supposed to have a start date of April 1st. The pic is about extreme flying and follows four young pilots as they compete against the world’s best. It’s being made by David Ellison’s new company Skydance Productions, and Paramount has a first look at his development."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tegh4bfkyn3wsycl4yrtjveb/bafkreigek3f4gce5zwixo43pgbqfxk6hdmhkxxq5i7v7thdrohpwky5zya)
