Scarlett Johansson will be taking off the fighting boots of Marvel’s Black Widow to star in the forthcoming mob drama film Rub & Tug. The role Johannsson will take on is Dante “Tex” Gill. The role, Johansson, and the film have received backlash on social media due to an actual transgender actor not receiving the role.
The IMDb page for the film provides this description of the film: “Tex Gill, a larger than life character who, while transitioning from female to male, becomes the crime kingpin of 1970s Pittsburgh through his empire of illicit massage parlors.”
The film is said to be guilty of once again stealing transgender stories to fit Hollywood productions without including people in the actual community. Jamie Clayton, an actor on Sense8, expressed her opinion on social media by retweeting the article and adding, “Actors who are trans never even get to audition FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN ROLES OF TRANS CHARACTERS. THATS THE REAL ISSUE. WE CANT EVEN GET IN THE ROOM.”
Bustle reports a representative for Johansson issues a statement: “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.” All three of those actors have won or been nominated for their acting in transgender roles.
