Scarlett Johansson made a lot of waves when she was recently cast to play the role of a transgender male character for a movie called Rub & Tug . Many took issue with the casting decision, as they believed the role should have been given to a transgender actor. After a massive amount of pressure and backlash, the 34-year-old actress ultimately decided to back out of the role.
According to Fox News , Johansson addressed her thoughts on politically correct casting during her interview for As If Magazine .
While the actress did back out of the role of the transgender male after being pressured to do so, she didn’t believe that she should have had to. In fact, the actress believed she should be allowed to play any role she auditions and gets cast for.
“You know, as an actor, I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job,” she explained.
“I feel like it’s a trend in my business and it needs to happen for various social reasons, yet there are times it does get uncomfortable when it affects the art because I feel art should be free of restrictions.”
The actress continued to explain that she believed society would be a better place if people were allowed to feel the way they wanted to feel instead of forcing people to feel a certain way.
Johansson also explained that many changes are made during the production of a movie. By the time the production process is over, the finished project tends to be completely different then what was originally pictured.
‘I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal’: Scarlett Johansson opens up about PC casting https://t.co/4hTrAFUYxt
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) July 13, 2019
Scarlett added that the first cut is “usually different from the movie I thought I was making. It’s very rare that it’s what I thought I was making. Sometimes it’s devastating, and sometimes it’s a pleasant surprise.”
When the actress first addressed the backlash regarding the transgender role, she admitted to being grateful that the issue opened up the opportunity to learn more about the transgender community. She also made an effort to apologize for anything insensitive she made have said before backing out of the role.
Scarlett Johansson: ‘I should be allowed to play any person’ https://t.co/mg2Gti2h1F pic.twitter.com/aoRKmFBdqQ
— Page Six (@PageSix) July 13, 2019
As those who have followed Johansson’s career know, this isn’t the first time the actress has caught heat for casting-related backlash. Many took issue when the actress landed the leading role in Ghost in the Shell, as the film was an adaption of a Japanese manga. The 2017 film was accused of “whitewashing” when it cast Johansson as the leading lady.
