Not many are pleased with the way Scarlett Johansson addressed her controversial castings.
Last year, the actress was initially slated to play a transman in a biopic entitled Rub and Tug, which tells the story of ’70s and ’80s Pittsburgh crime kingpin named Dante “Tex” Gill. She later stepped down from the role due to criticisms.
That wasn’t the first time she was hounded by controversies for a role she took. The public also slammed her for being cast as the lead in Ghost in the Shell, a film based on a popular Japanese manga and anime.
She finally talked about these issues in-depth in an interview with As If magazine. According to the publication, Scarlett claimed that as “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 was also noted in saying that, “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.”
With regards to political correctness, the magazine moreover wrote that according to Scarlett, “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.”
These statements understandably caused quite a stir in the internet.
However, Scarlett claims that her quotes were taken out of context, and even accused the magazine of purposefully doing it for clickbait. “The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art,” she said. “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 didn’t come across that way.”
She asserted, “I recognize that in reality, there is a widespread discrepancy amongst my industry that favors Caucasian, cis gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to. I continue to support, and always have, diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included.”
What’s your take on this? Sound off in the comments section below.
[Paper]
Photo courtesy of @mytalk1071’s Instagram account
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