Scarlett Johansson became something of a conservative hero on Friday for speaking out against identity politics.
She told As If magazine, in quotes excerpted by the Daily Mail, “You know, 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.”
But now, she’s saying her comments about giving up the role of a transgender person in Rub and Tug after backlash were taken out of context.
“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 in a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Sunday. She continued:
Her follow-up statement doesn’t negate the truth of her original comments, though, and while her statement gave her the opportunity to make an important clarification, the actress was pretty much right all along.
The controversy in question was the decision to cast her as identifying as a man in Rub and Tug. She backed out of the film last year due to backlash.
“I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues,” she told Out magazine in a statement. “While I would have loved the opportunity to bring [Dante Tex Gill]’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.”
Last year, Business Insider columnist Daniella Greenbaum wrote a piece arguing, accurately, that the “job of an actor is to represent someone else.” The website actually took it down. In response, Greenbaum resigned.
When people feel compelled to quit their jobs after arguing about which actors are allowed to play which roles, it’s a sign that identity politics has gone way too far. It’s ruining art. There is something to the importance of representation, but Johansson shouldn’t have to apologize for playing a transgender person, just as Asian actress Gemma Chan shouldn’t have to defend playing a white character. Identity is not the crux of art.
