Transgender artists applaud Scarlett Johansson's "Rub & Tug" release



[ad_1]

There is not always much distance between the party and the relief.

Less than 24 hours after FX's announcement of a second season of the transgender television series Pose – a groundbreaking show created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Cbads that feature Largest cast of LGBTQ characters for a scripted series – Scarlett Johansson announced that she was leaving Rub & Tug a movie in which she was to play as Dante Tex Gill, a transgender man.

The actress A-list made a statement to Out.com, proposing that she had "decided to respectfully withdraw my participation in the project" following ethical concerns regarding her participation as a & # 39; Cisgender actress. "Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I have learned a lot from the community since my first statement on my casting and I realize that he was insensitive."

By the time Johansson was releasing his casting news on Friday, close to a dozen actors, filmmakers, artists, and transgender activists were in the Los Angeles office for a discussion on representation in the entertainment industry. All those interviewed applauded his decision to leave the project ("You're awesome!", Said Buck Angel) and many expressed relief that the public outcry on behalf of the trans community was heard and followed.

"Scarlett's decision to withdraw was a good example of listening to the community and it was the right thing to do," said Rhys Ernst, a producer and director named by Emmy known for his work on Transparent, This is Me and the next feature film Adam .

Rub & Tug tells the story of Dante "Tex" Gill who operated a mbadage and prostitution parlor in Pittsburgh in the 1970s and 1980s. When the project was announced on 2 July with Johansson aboard, there was an immediate backlash on-line, both on social media and in various media. The consensus was that the role should have gone to a trans interpreter.

Rain Valdez, an actress and producer whose credits include Transparent and Lopez was moved to tears. "That says a lot about Scarlett Johansson, which makes me a little emotional because it's not an easy industry for trans women, it's not an easy industry for transbadual men" [19659002] Actress Alexandra Gray ( Transparent, Code Black, Chicago Med, When We Stand Up ) echoes this feeling and goes one step further. "We're broken, it hurts sometimes when we see cis actors who describe our stories and win Oscars and win Emmys" when trans actors do not have the same opportunities. Jared Leto won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in 19459004 [Dallas] the Dallas Purchasing Club while Jeffrey Tambor won the highest TV award for playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent .

Jen Richards, known for creating the series Her Story and being the first transgender actress on a CMT series for her work on Nashville badyzes Johansson's well-received statement, that which included a troubling GLAAD statistic about representation. "The LGBTQ + characters dropped by 40% in 2017 compared to the previous year, without any representation of trans characters in a major studio release," she said. "Although I would have liked to have had the opportunity to bring to life the story and the transition of Dante, I understand why many think that it should be interpreted by a transgender person, and I am recognizing that this debate, while controversial, has sparked a broader conversation about diversity Richards: "I will badume that what she says in the statement, which is clearly very well crafted by a team of very intelligent people, It was no less serious. "

Zackary Drucker, an artist, cultural producer and filmmaker who worked on Transparent hoped that it was a turning point in Hollywood." We we are so troubled and so ravaged to feel ignored, to feel exploited, to feel that our stories are not ours, "she said

to those who think that controversy and criticism have grown in the transgender community Gray has says that this is not the case. "What we are saying is that the actors should have the artistic freedom to play roles, we are not saying that you can not represent these characters, we are saying that we just want to have the opportunity to go out for all types of roles, "she said." We'd like to be invited for everything you have. "

See the full video here

This article was published at Originally by The Hollywood Reporter

[ad_2]
Source link