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:
Yes, ScarJo, you should be able to play a tree. Because there aren’t countless sentient trees desiring to act yet struggling to get cast in roles. But there ARE ton of LGBTQIA l/non binary actors who have vocalized that they would love to represent those characters.
— Stephanie Mickus (@smickable) July 13, 2019
Scarlett Johansson is right. She should be allowed to play any role. But until marginalized people get equal representation and access to the opportunities she NOW enjoys, this is pretty low on the priority list and it’s sentiment’s meaning empty and mostly moot https://t.co/0PDyYtCTBk
— Exavier Pope (@exavierpope) July 13, 2019
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.
— Charlotte Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) July 13, 2019
ScarJo is the highest paid female actor in 2018, banking $40.5 mil. But she feels entitled to take roles away from Asian, Trans & other underrepresented actors? https://t.co/vB0g2SlatA
— Nancy Wang Yuen (@nancywyuen) July 13, 2019
Scarlett Johansson is a cisgender white woman with a powerful platform and no storage 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. https://t.co/yWMeCZbUMS
— Charlotte Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) July 13, 2019
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