The act of 'Ciswashing' wasn't a controversial topic until Scarlett Johansson‘s casting,
and agreeing, to play the part of real-life trans massage parlor owner Dante “Tex” Gill in the upcoming (and now probably doomed) "Rub & Tug."
Johansson’s response to her detractors [“Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”] came with severe backlash.
After all that drama, Johansson is finally backtracking. In a just-released statement to Out Magazine, the actress describes her comments as “insensitive” and that she has ”learned a lot from the community.”
Here’s the full statement.
“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. 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. According to GLAAD, LGBTQ+ characters dropped 40% in 2017 from the previous year, with no representation of trans characters in any major studio release.”
She continued, “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.”
Brian Sosin on Facebook said it best:
So here is what will happen now:
Fewer and fewer Producers will be willing to finance or package films about the Trans community because they will cause an uproar
There will be a belief that they cannot include these characters in these films
Most Producers will follow suit with the accurate inverse belief that if Scarlett Johansson couldn't play a Trans Man, why should any Trans actor be given the opportunity to play a CIS character. That is 100% valid.
Progress was being made. This is the dumbest controversy in recent memory.