Scarlett Johansson was under fire last month after she was cast in the role of a transgender man in Rub & Tug. She had quit the project after all the backlash, but Guardians of the Galaxy actress Glenn Close thought that Johansson had every right to play the character, regardless of her gender.
Talking to the HFPA in Conversation podcast (via Indiewire), Close commented:
"My thinking right now is that people who are producing and directing properties like that need to go out of their way to get trans actors jobs… but they also should have the opportunity to cast the best person. Acting is a craft… I think personally that anyone should be able to play anyone."
It's worth noting that Close had touched on a role of the same nature. She too on the role of a cisgender woman pretending to be a man in the film Albert Nobbs, and even received an Oscar nomination for her work. Close also played a small cameo as a pirate man in Steven Spielberg's Hook.
With Johansson out of the project, it's been said that Rub & Tug might not even get made at all since the studio couldn't find a big enough star to lead. I guess it will have to be a while before we get to see the story of Dante ‘Tex' Gill come to the big screen.
Personally, I didn't have any issue when it came to Johansson's casting since the character starts out as a woman. It can even be said that it's already stereotyping when only gay/trans actors are allowed for gay/trans roles.
Hopefully Hollywood finds a good compromise somewhere down the line.
See Also: Rumor: Marvel's Black Widow Film Could Begin Production In UK In June 2019