Scarlett Johansson Will Reportedly Play a Trans Man in New Movie "Rub & Tug"

Updated July 4, 2018 at 9:20 AM:

Scarlett Johansson has responded to the backlash surrounding her upcoming film Rub & Tug, where she will reportedly play a character based on a real-life trans man. Scarlett's representative provided a statement to Bustle from the actor herself, saying: "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."

Her response invokes the name of other cisgender celebrities who have previously portrayed transgender characters, seemingly suggesting she is not the first actor to do so. And while she is correct, she's simultaneously proving the point of the criticism. This continued practice takes away opportunities from transgender performers, and also denies audience members from seeing themselves adequately represented on screen. It was true for all three of the actors named by Scarlett, and it's still true now.

What's more, two of those actors have actually advocated on behalf of trans performers as well. Felicity Huffman portrayed a trans woman in the 2005 film Transamerica, but told HuffPost that she "understood" why trans actors should be given those opportunities instead. Huffman went on to note that trans people "have been marginalized for a long time and I think you see that in people who are not trans playing them."

Jeffrey Tambor, who has since been fired from the television show Transparent in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, asked Hollywood to provide more space for transgender actors during his Emmy Award acceptance speech in 2016.

Jill Soloway, the creator of the series, also echoed the same sentiment, telling TV Insider that she would cast the show differently today. "I would unequivocally say it is absolutely unacceptable to cast a cis man in the role of a trans woman," Soloway said. "Ever." Her comments reinforce the fact that Hollywood should learn from previous decisions; things have changed since Transparent's premiere in 2014. We should be able to do better now.

Previously:

Scarlett Johansson is reportedly set to star in a movie called Rub & Tug, playing a character based on a real-life trans man, Vulture reported on July 2). The film will be directed by Rupert Sanders, according to the Hollywood Reporter, who is the director behind Ghost in the Shell, the 2016 movie which was heavily criticized for its whitewashing of a popular Japanese manga series.

Deadline reported on Tuesday (July 3) that production company New Regency had won the rights to make Rub & Tug, a film about real-life Pittsburgh businessman Dante "Tex" Gill, who created a successful massage parlor chain that the Post-Gazette reported was a front for sex work. Gill also had altercations with the mob in Pittsburgh. According to Deadline, Scarlett is set to play Gill; as ScreenCrush pointed out on Tuesday, Scarlett, a cis woman, is playing a trans character.

It's not the first time this has happened in Hollywood — look to Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry or Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club — but given the need for accurate representation both on-screen and off, it's crucial that people outside of a narrow, cisgender lens feel seen. “We need roles written for everyone — and casting directors should then know how to cast those roles accordingly,” non-binary, trans-masculine actor Ellie Desautels told GLAAD about their portrayal of transgender student Michael on Rise.

What's more, a lot of media reporting around the announcement has incorrectly described Gill's identity. Both The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline described the plot by using Gill's deadname.

Gill died in 2003, and rose to prominence in the '70s and '80s, so the language people used to describe trans people was different — though that doesn't make it OK. The Post-Gazette's 2003 obituary said Gill identified himself as "Mr. Gill" and added that the transgender community was "so underground it had yet to acquire that label."

On social media, people have raised concerns over both the the casting and the way the film is being covered. One critic wrote "Shame there are no actual trans actors for hollywood to turn to for the role of Dante "Tex" Gill...oh wait."

Many people also called THR and Deadline for their wording of the storyline. One wrote, "Being transgender is not a sexuality. It is a gender identity. Trans people can be straight/gay/bi/pan/sapio/etc. Do better @THR and @etanvlessing."

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