Scarlett Johansson has time and again proven her versatility as an actress, from playing a superhero to a heartbroken divorcee. However, there is one particular role that the actress signed up for, but could not play due to public backlash.
The year was 2018, when Johansson was cast in the role of a transgender man in the film, Rub & Tug, based on the real-life gangster Dante “Tex” Gill. However, as soon as the casting was announced, the producers and the actress faced criticism from the transgender community.
Scarlett Johansson was Cast as the Real-Life Transgender Gangster Dante “Tex” Gill
In July 2018, Johansson was announced to be starring in the lead role in Rub & Tug, to be directed by Rupert Sanders. The actress was also attached as a producer on the project, which was supposed to showcase the life of Gill, a gangster who operated a chain of massage parlors that became the center of prostitution in the 1970s and ‘80s.
The casting did not go down well with the audience, as fans argued that it took away acting opportunities from the marginalized community of transgenders. A number of trans actors called out the makers on social media, and Johansson faced the wrath of the public. However, the actress initially refused to back down, saying, “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment,” referencing the cisgender actors who had played transgender roles in the past.
But as the backlash grew more and more, Johansson decided to step down from the role, just 11 days after the casting was first announced. “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,” the Black Widow actress said.
Johansson Later Reflected on the Situation, Saying She Mishandled It
While announcing that she was dropping the project, Johansson also addressed her earlier controversial statement and called it insensitive. “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,” she said.
More than a year later, Johansson reflected on the whole incident in an interview, accepting that she mishandled it and has learned from the experience. “In hindsight, I mishandled that situation. I was not sensitive, my initial reaction to it,” she stated, adding, “I wasn’t aware of that conversation — I was uneducated. So I learned a lot through that process. I misjudged that… It was a hard time.”
The film, Rub & Tug, was eventually scrapped, and in 2020, it was announced that a TV series would instead be produced based on Gill’s life, with a trans actor in the lead. However, there have been no further updates about the project ever since.
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