Scarlett Johansson is one of the most versatile actors Hollywood has been blessed with. She’s played a superhero, Black Widow, in Marvel but also entertained fans with projects like Jojo Rabbit and Ghost In The Shell. ScarJo could have been seen as a transgender woman but had to opt out of the film due to casting controversy. Scroll below for all the details!

Ghost In The Shell director Rupert Sanders offered the movie Rub & Tug to ScarJo. She was supposed to bring the life of an American transman gangster and mᴀssage parlor owner Dante Tex Gill to the big screens. The actress accepted the role, but the big announcement did not go very well with the LGBTQ+ members of Hollywood.

ScarJo’s dig at Jared Leto & other actors who previously played transgender parts

This wasn’t the first time a cisgender actor was playing the role of a transgender character. We have previously seen Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), and Felicity Huffman (Transamerica) portray such roles and win recognitions, including Oscar Awards. However, critics objected to Scarlett Johansson’s casting and claimed she was stealing opportunities from the actors of the marginalized community.

The public outcry did not go well with Scarlett Johansson, who initially reacted in anger. She took digs at previous roles played by Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman. Her representative reacted to the Rub & Tug casting controversy and told Bustle, “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”

Scarlett Johansson said she mishandled Rub & Tug casting controversy
Later, Scarlett Johansson realized that she had mishandled the situation and issued a public statement announcing she was exiting the project. She told Vanity Fair in 2019, “In hindsight, I mishandled that situation. I was not sensitive, my initial reaction to it. I wasn’t totally aware of how the trans community felt about those three actors playing — and how they felt in general about cis actors playing — transgender people.I wasn’t aware of that conversation — I was uneducated. o I learned a lot through that process. I misjudged that… It was a hard time. It was like a whirlwind. I felt terribly about it. To feel like you’re kind of tone-deaf to something is not a good feeling.”

While Rupert Sanders shelved Rub & Tug at that point, it was later reimagined for a TV series. Our Lady J was reported to write the pilot, but there has been no update on the project yet.

Scarlett Johansson on the professional front
Scarlett Johansson was recently seen in North Star, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023. The British drama also stars Freida Pinto, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham.

She also has Asteroid City and Transformers One in the pipeline.