Black Widow Star Scarlett Johansson Blasted for Role in ‘Rub & Tug’

Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson recently took on the role of prostitution ring leader Dante “Tex” Gill. Dante was originally born Lois Jean Gill and subsequently referred to themselves as Mr. Gill towards the end of their life. The story of Gill’s life will become the inspiration for the upcoming film Rub & Tug.

Sounds like an interesting movie to me. A transsexual gangster.

Unfortunately, with everything related to non-traditional norms and entertainment, the announcement of Johansson taking the role was met with controversy. A number of people put Scarlett Johansson on blast for accepting the role they believe is better fit for a transgender actor.

Here are a few tweets to give you an idea of how some people reacted to the casting decision. Please note, these are the nicest ones I could find that wasn’t laced with profanity or porn.

Johansson responded through a representative in a simple statement Bustle:

“Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”

The response is in reference to Jared Let and Felicity Huffman receiving Oscar nominations for their roles in Dallas Buyers Club and Transamerica respectfully. Jeffery Tambor won an Emmy for his portrayal of a trans character in the television show Transparent.

The response infuriated those who were already upset with the casting choice and this time the media decided to target her. Judy Dry at Business Insider claimed Johansson “passed the buck” when it came to her accountability for the role.

Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote in the New York Times that the casting was racist when she compared it to Mickey Rooney’s role as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast as Tiffany’s. Boylan claims Rooney and Hollywood committed “yellowface.” And Scarlett Johansson is committing “transface.”

Transgender actor Trace Lysette showed her jealously when she whined about the casting choice and Johansson’s defense in accepting the role.

Transgender actor Jamie Clayton also had quite a bit to say about Johansson’s casting in the role.

This isn’t the first time Scarlett Johansson has faced heated criticism for taking on a specific role. Just last year she faced quite a bit of hate when she took the lead role in the live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Just like then, she faced down the criticism and continued on with the role.

Many cried foul when she took on the role of Major believing she was whitewashing the character despite the source material not giving Major a clear ethnicity and the fact her body was artificial. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop people from bashing Johansson for taking the role.

In a twist of fate, Japanese people though the bashing of Scarlett Johansson was utterly ridiculous.

The idea that actors are supposed to act in roles that they don’t normally live shouldn’t be shocking to anyone.  Unless your political agenda precludes such ideas of course. Shakespeare plays routinely had young boys playing women’s roles.

But that doesn’t really matter to these activists. Their goals have been clearly stated. They want to control the language, the narrative, and destroy what they don’t like they. They know if they control the language, they can shame people to act the way they prefer.

This is just the latest example of the loony left looking to exert control over the industry.

Johansson’s representative’s comments hit the nail on the head. An actor is supposed to “act.” The idea that someone is getting heat and hate for taking on a role is mind-boggling. At the same time, you cannot bow to the rabid activist crowds. The best thing that she can do is take on the role, kick ass playing the person, and prove to them what the point of acting is.

Should Johansson stand firm? Or should she bow out of the production?