After several days of attacks on social networks and an avalanche of criticism from the Trans community, the actress has preferred to withdraw from the project.
The actress Scarlett Johansson announced her participation in the film Rub and Tug. It was first said that she would play Jean Marie Gill, a transgender woman who owns a massage parlor that functioned as a front for a prostitution business, who went by the alias of Dante 'Tex' Gill.
The news had not yet cooled down when the error began to be corrected by the networks: Gill was born as a man and therefore his transs--ual identity was that of Jean Marie. And then the controversy broke out. April Reign, one of the main activists against the so-called whitewashing in Hollywood and who led the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, accused her of occupying a role that should belong to a transs--a man. According to what was published by Variety, after little more than a week of attacks on the networks, Johansson has announced today that she is withdrawing from the project due to ethical questions that have arisen about her role as Dante 'Tex' Gill.
In a statement to Out Magazine, the actress shared her reasons: “Our culture's understanding of transgender people continues to advance. I have learned a lot about the community since I announced that I would be playing the character and now I realize that she was insensitive. I have great love and admiration for the trans community and am grateful that the theme of inclusion continues in Hollywood."
"While I would have loved the chance to play Dante's story and his transition, I understand why many believe he should be played by a transgender person. I appreciate the debate that the role generated; although controversial, it has sparked a broader conversation about diversity and the way he presents himself in the film".
The GLAAD was quick to celebrate Johansson's decision: The film industry has a real opportunity to do the same,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the organization. For now, the future of the film is still unknown, or even if it will have one.
