Scarlett Johansson says she should be allowed to play “any person, any tree or any animal”

The statement has attracted a deal of controversy.

Scarlett Johansson has landed herself in hot water on a number of occasions throughout her career, for the roles she has chosen. First it was for her performance in Ghost in a Shell, where she played a white version of a popular Japanese character from an established franchise that resulted in people questioning her decision to accept the role. More recently, there was the suggestion that she would have played a real-life trans man in Rub and Tug, but she decided to exit the film following a backlash, largely from the trans community. She then released a statement, saying she had learned from the experience. But once again, she has landed herself in trouble, speaking in a recent interview with As If Magazine. Seemingly going back on what she had said after having exited Rub and Tug, Johansson said that "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 has since been criticised on social media for her comments in the interview: https://twitter.com/smickable/status/1150162251032039424 https://twitter.com/exavierpope/status/1150167546903093251 https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1150166601804779520 https://twitter.com/nancywyuen/status/1150117308053852160 https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1150165924034560001