The 'Lucy' actress doesn't seem to have a second thought about taking on the role of Dante 'Tex' Gill despite the criticism directed to her.
- July 4, 2018
AceShowbiz - Scarlett Johansson has received internet backlash after reports said that she's cast in "Rub & Tug". In the film that will be directed by her "Ghost in the Shell" director Rupert Sanders, she will play a real-life Pennsylvania crime boss Jean Marie Gill a.k.a. Dante "Tex" Gill, who may have been a transgender.
According to an obituary, Gill was known as "the woman who prefers to be known as a man." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obit also said Gill may have undergone "the initial stages of a sex change that made her appear masculine."
People take issue with the fact that Johansson is a cisgender woman, not a transgender man like Gill. Commenting on the criticism, a rep for the actress said, "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment." The rep said the comment came directly from "The Avengers" star herself.
First the Japanese, and now Scarlett Johansson is taking on the trans community with her new film Rub and Tug. I can't wait until her Rosa Parks film comes out. https://t.co/nbmoMkoNlN
— Valerie Vza Complex (@ValerieComplex) July 3, 2018
Hollywood: We're making another film that touches on the life of a trans individual.
Me: Oh!! Maybe this will be good this ti--
Hollywood: *Casts Scarlett Johansson as a Trans Man, is the same director as Ghost in the Shell, refers to being Transgender as a sexuality* pic.twitter.com/9pEIqRPdKJ
— Penni Smith @ AX, but also Eevee wear hat (@PenPhiVA) July 3, 2018
Johansson's statement refers to three cisgender actors who have earned praise from critics for their portrayals of transgender characters. Tambor won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2016 for his role as Maura Pfefferman (born Morton Pfefferman) on Netflix's series "Transparent". Leto received an Oscar nomination for playing a drug-addicted transgender woman with AIDS in "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013), and Huffman was also nominated for an Oscar for her role as a transgender woman named Bree in "Transamerica" (2005).
Here's how this will go down:
— Magdalene Visaggio, Immaterial Girl (@MagsVisaggs) July 3, 2018
Trans people will object. The director will stand by their casting choice, saying "ScarJo is the best for the role. But Im glad we're having this conversation." Then nothing will change.
Same as always.https://t.co/RnZAeEQZnk
wtf is this trash response Scarlett Johansson https://t.co/wCZwBtYpQHpic.twitter.com/0eQJUgJyaM
— e. oliver whitney (@cinemabite) July 3, 2018
"Rub & Tug" will chronicle Gill's rise as a kingpin in 1970s Pittsburgh, creating an empire of illicit massage parlours and growing rich as part of an anabolic steroids ring that included American footballers and celebrities, all while masquerading as a man.
Gary Spinelli wrote the script and is on board as producer along with Joel Silver, Tobey Maguire and Johansson among others.
