Johansson, one of Hollywood's biggest stars,
had agreed to take a role in "Rub & Tug" as Dante "Tex" Gill, a
real-life American crime kingpin who used his massage parlor as
a front for prostitution in the 1970s and 1980s. Gill was born a
woman but identified as a man.
It was the second time Johansson, an American of European
descent, found herself in the middle of a casting controversy
after appearing in 2017's "Ghost in the Shell" in a role
originally conceived as a Japanese character.
Johansson, 33, said she had decided to withdraw from "Rub & Tug"
for ethical reasons.
"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," the actress said in a statement to the lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender magazine "Out."
"I understand why many feel he (Gill) 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," she added.
On social media, newspaper editorials and videos, the
transgender community had slammed her casting as highlighting
the limited opportunities given to transgender actors.
In recent years, straight actor Eddie Redmayne played a
transgender woman in "The Danish Girl," Jared Leto won an Oscar
for playing a trans woman in "Dallas Buyers Club," and Jeffrey
Tambor has won awards for playing a father who transitions to a
man in the television series "Transparent."
According to LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, none of the 109 movies
released by Hollywood's seven biggest studios in 2017 included a
transgender character.
GLAAD welcomed Johansson's decision saying on Twitter that "her
announcement, together with the transgender voices who spoke out
about this film, are game changers for the future of transgender
images in Hollywood."
Filming has yet to begin on "Rub & Tug" and no replacement for
Johansson was immediately announced.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Tom
Brown)
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