Scarlett Johansson says ‘any actor should be able to play anybody’, and social media lights up again
- Actress who was contentiously cast in the lead role of Japanese anime adaptation Ghost In The Shell causes fresh controversy with her views on on-screen representation
- ‘Art should be free of restrictions’, she is quoted as saying, but a transgender critic says on social media ‘trans people should play trans people. Period’
As the battle over on-screen representation in the movies continues to rage, actress Scarlett Johansson once again stepped into the crossfire.
In an interview with As If magazine, the actress made the bold and – particularly in left-leaning Hollywood – unpopular statement that 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.”
“I think society would be more connected if we just allowed others to have their own feelings and not expect everyone to feel the way we do,” she added.
Backlash on social media was swift.
“Scarlett Johansson is a cisgender (meaning her gender identity corresponds with her birth sex) 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.
“I will not be seeing any films that involve Scarlett Johansson moving forward. I do not want to give my money to someone who trivializes the oppression of trans people and diminishes the importance of our visibility.”
She had some support too.
Social media reaction to Scarlett Johansson’s comments
Johansson later told The Washington Post in a statement through her publicist that 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,” she said.
I will not be seeing any films that involve Scarlett Johansson moving forward. I do not want to give my money to someone who trivializes the oppression of trans people and diminishes the importance of our visibility.
“I recognise that in reality, there is a widespread discrepancy among [sic] my industry that favours Caucasian, cisgendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to (have). I continue to support, and always have, diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included.”
She was the centre of controversy again in July 2018 when news broke that she planned to portray Dante “Tex” Gill, who ran a massage parlour business and prostitution ring in the American city of Pittsburgh in the 1970s and ’80s, in a movie titled Rub & Tug.
Days later, she resigned from the project and apologised in an exclusive statement to Out magazine that said, in part: “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.”
Several actors have stepped down from a role amid casting controversy in recent years. British actor Ed Skrein stepped down from the role of Major Ben Daimio in Hellboy in 2017 because the character was Asian-American in the comic books the movie was based upon. The role eventually went to Daniel Dae Kim. The Washington Post’s Gene Parked dubbed it “the rare happy ending for Hollywood’s whitewashing problem.”
