Scarlett Johansson found herself in hot water over the weekend for comments she made about casting in Hollywood.
During an interview with Daily Mail, the actress said, “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,’ she said point blank.”
Scarlett Johansson is: The Giving Tree pic.twitter.com/kZ28ixNUYs
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) July 14, 2019
As expected, her comments were met with criticism and jokes. She faced backlash for initially taking the role of a transgender character in Rub & Tug before backing out. Johansson was also initially cast as an Asian character in Ghost In Shell.
In response, Johansson has decided to clarify her comments. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, she said, “The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist David Salle was about the confrontation between political correctness and art.” She added, “I personally feel that, in an ideal world, any actor should be able to play anybody and Art, in all forms, should be immune to political correctness. That is the point I was making, albeit didn’t come across that way.”