Scarlett Johansson has been criticized for her decision to play a transgender person in the film Rub and Tug. She has faced constant scrutiny from various sources for accepting the role of a transgender person.
The reason for the backlash received by Johansson is due to the fact that people want a transgender actor to play the role instead of Johansson. Scarlett faced a tough time after people started questioning the casting decision through various platforms. This is not the first time that Scarlett has faced criticism for accepting specific rules. In 2018 she received the role of a transgender man and later pulled out of the project due to backlash. Her movie, Ghost in the Shell, was accused of whitewashing after she accepted the role of Asian women.
In an interview with As If magazine, Johansson said she doesn’t think political correctness should determine the kind of roles we can portray. She feels that as an actor, she should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal as it is her job and the requirement of her career to do so. She added that it’s a trend in her business and it needs to happen for a various social reason, but there are times when it gets uncomfortable as it affects art and art should be free of restrictions.
Her comments received criticism on many social media platforms about privilege and appropriation. She later clarified her comments to CNN on Sunday. Johansson said that her comments word taken out of context. Also, she feels that in an ideal world, an actor should be able to play anybody and art in all forms should be immune to political correctness. This was the point that she was trying to convey, but it didn’t come across that way.
She also accepted that there is a wide discrepancy in the acting industry that favors Caucasian, cis-gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that she has been privileged to. Furthermore, she said that she has always supported diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included.