Scarlett Johansson Exits 'Rub & Tug' Following Transgender Casting Backlash

[Coop 15,354]

“In light of recent ethical questions raised surrounding my casting as Dante Tex Gill, I have decided to respectfully withdraw my participation in the project,” Johansson said in a statement 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. I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues.”

She continued, “According to GLAAD, LGBTQ+ characters dropped 40 percent in 2017 from the previous year, with no representation of trans characters in any major studio release. 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. My production company, These Pictures, actively pursues projects that both entertain and push boundaries. We look forward to working with every community to bring these most poignant and important stories to audiences worldwide.”

 

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[ryanripley 86,575]

ugh queen  

[GypsyBabe 22,836]

 Well said. 

[DontDoubtDavid 1,191]

Glad she handled it well and was respectful. 👏

[Scathach 6,674]

I'm not going to applaud her for stepping down on a role she should have never taken in the first place.

[youandi 2,110]

I’m glad she’s done this and done it respectfully and I hope doing so will raise light to the issue and help educate others on why it was an issue in the first place. 

That being said, I really hope the people calling her out to begin with can see that this is a good move on her part and will see it as progress, rather than another reason to call her out. I have no doubts that people will continue to have an issue with her and will claim that she’s only leaving because of the backlash (Like that’s a problem, she wouldn’t leave if she hadn’t been told it was a poor choice) and people have a right to their opinion.

However I’m really finding this ‘call out culture’ to be an increasingly toxic pass time. People have the right to address when something has bothered them and rightly so, people should be educated when necessary, but when it’s done for fun under the guise of being progressive, that is a problem. Not everyone has the same social understanding as each other and attacking someone for a bad choice isn’t always the best way to combat the issue. 

[ryanripley 86,575]

2 minutes ago, Scathach said:

I'm not going to applaud her for stepping down on a role she should have never taken in the first place.

at least she did, why criticise her for making the RIGHT choice? she's clearly been educated properly and decided to listen instead of saying "whatever, it's acting"

let's not put people who's learnt from their mistakes in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation because it's so tired and counter productive

[Scathach 6,674]

2 minutes ago, ryanripley said:

at least she did, why criticise her for making the RIGHT choice? she's clearly been educated properly and decided to listen instead of saying "whatever, it's acting"

let's not put people who's learnt from their mistakes in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation because it's so tired and counter productive

Lol this is what she said a week ago when people call her out ""Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."" and let's not forget Ghost in the shell. She stepped down because of the backlash getting bigger, not her being "educated". 

[Miracle 14,068]

Just now, Scathach said:

Lol this is what she said a week ago when people call her out ""Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."" and let's not forget Ghost in the shell. She stepped down because of the backlash getting bigger, not her being "educated". 

Tea was served and people got third degree burns.

[ryanripley 86,575]

Just now, Scathach said:

Lol this is what she said a week ago when people call her out ""Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."" and let's not forget Ghost in the shell. She stepped down because of the backlash getting bigger, not her being "educated". 

did you read the OP? 

"I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive"

[Vergil 2,296]

I hope she means it and not just saying that cuz “pls don’t end my career”. 

[PunkTheFunk 124,406]

27 minutes ago, ryanripley said:

did you read the OP? 

"I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive"

Aka her management said "Everyone hates you now; we're going to write you another statement before your career ends" and she said "ugh, fine. I'm still playing Barack Obama in his biopic right?"

[ShockPop 7,747]

Pathetic. This agenda has pushed against those that are accepting.

What about The Danish Girl?

What about trans actors playing cis, or gays playing straight or straight playing gay?

It's called acting. Anyone protesting her having this role needs a big fat look at themselves.

Honestly.

[Haroon 49,685]

I think she’s just giving into unnecessary backlash  It’s just going to fuel people further into thinking that if they kick off about things then others will do what they want  

If you can pull off the look of the character, regardless of sexuality or gender or so on, then you should be allowed to play them  

[StarstruckIllusion 52,569]

I’m shocked. Her first statement was basically a middle finger. I’m sure it she didn’t miss a huge multi million dollar check, so she’ll be fine