Johansson is in the crossfire ... again
Star faces online backlash after saying she ‘should be allowed to play any person’
As the battle over onscreen representation in the movies rages, actress Scarlett Johansson in an interview with As If magazine, said she feels political correctness is antithetical to art.
“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,” Johansson said. “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.”
Online backlash was swift. “Scarlett Johansson is a cisgender white woman with a powerful platform and no (shortage) of work opportunities. Trans people should play trans people. Period. It is incredibly disappointing that she has learned nothing and clearly does not care about the experiences of trans people,” tweeted Charlotte Clymer, a transgender woman who works as the press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign.
Johansson later told The Washington Post her comments were “edited for click bait” and “widely taken out of context.”
“The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art. I personally feel that, in an ideal world, any actor should be able to play anybody and art, in all forms, should be immune to political correctness. That is the point I was making, albeit (it) didn’t come across that way. I recognize that in reality, there is a widespread discrepancy among my industry that favours Caucasian, cis gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to...”
Johansson was the target of backlash against “whitewashing” when she played the lead role in a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell, and again last year when news broke she planned to portray Dante “Tex” Gill, who ran a massage parlour business and prostitution ring, in Rub & Tug.
Days later, she resigned from the project and apologized to Out magazine: “Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive ... While I would have loved the opportunity to bring Dante’s story and transition to life, I understand why many feel he should be portrayed by a transgender person, and I am thankful that this casting debate, albeit controversial, has sparked a larger conversation about diversity and representation in film. I believe that all artists should be considered equally and fairly.”