The actress, 34, saw renewed focus this weekend on ayear-old casting controversyafter she toldAs Ifmagazine that she believed that, as an actor, she should be “allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job.”
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“An interview that was recently published has been edited for click bait and is widely taken out of context. The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art. 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,” she said in the statement.
“That is the point I was making, albeit didn’t come across that way. I recognize that in reality, there is a wide spread discrepancy amongst my industry that favors Caucasian, cis gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to. I continue to support and always have, diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included,” Johansson continued.
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That led to a discussion about different acting trends in Hollywood today, and Johansson mentioned casting trends and the way on-screen representation has evolved.
“Today there’s a lot of emphasis and conversation about what acting is and who we want to see represent ourselves on screen. The question now is, what is acting anyway?” she said to the publication. “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.”
Johansson continued, “I feel like it’s a trend in my business and it needs to happen for various social reasons, yet there are times it does get uncomfortable when it affects the art because I feel art should be free of restrictions.”
The interview was published one year after she announced she would “respectfully withdraw” her participation inRub & Tug.
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“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,” Johansson said in a statement at the time.
source: people.com
