The actress recently voiced her support for director Woody Allen
Scarlett Johansson has shared her support for Woody Allen, saying she doesn’t believe sexual abuse allegations made against the director.
Colin Firth, Timothée Chalamet and Greta Gerwig have distanced themselves from Allen over accusations made by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow but Johansson is in no rush to do so.
Allen has always denied the allegations, which have been investigated twice but no charges have ever been brought.
In a new interview, the Avengers star, 34, stands by him, telling the Hollywood Reporter: “I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it.
“I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”
Johansson has worked with Allen on Match Point, Scoop and Vicky Cristina Barcelona and said that she would do so again “anytime.”
The comments are the latest in a series of headline-making remarks from the star, who has found herself at the centre of numerous Hollywood controversies in recent years.
From the Ghost in the Shell ‘whitewashing’ backlash to her recent assertion that she should be able to play “any person” or “any tree,” here is a brief history of Johansson’s most controversial moments to date…
2015: Johansson is cast in manga remake Ghost in the Shell
Johansson was confirmed to take the lead role in manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell in 2015.
The live action film was based on the popular Japanese comic series, in which the lead character was known as Motoko Kusanagi.
After her starring role was announced, fans raised ‘whitewashing’ claims and launched a petition calling for the part to be recast with an Asian actor instead.
A first look picture of Johansson in character was released the following year and stirred further anger over the movie – as did the news that the lead would be known as ‘Major’ in the remake.
The actress eventually addressed the row in an interview with Marie Claire shortly before the film’s release.
“I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person,” she told the magazine. “Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.”
2018: Johansson wears Marchesa to the Met Gala
Thanks to the theme Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, the 2018 Met Gala was always going to feature some divisive outfits (including Rihanna’s bedazzled Pope costume, complete with a jewel-encrusted mitre).
However, Johansson managed to spark one of the biggest fashion controversies of the night when she arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a gown by Marchesa – the brand co-founded by Georgina Chapman, the estranged wife of Harvey Weinstein, and Keren Craig.
The event marked the first time that an A-list star had worn the brand to a high profile event since sexual assault allegations were first brought against the film producer in 2017.
“I wore Marchesa because their clothes make women feel confident and beautiful and it is my pleasure to support a brand created by two incredibly talented and important female designers,” Johansson said in a statement released to E! News.
Her outfit choice sparked intense discussion online, with some social media users claiming that Johansson’s support of Marchesa was at odds with her involvement with the Time’s Up movement.
2018: Johansson is cast as a trans character in film Rub and Tug
In 2018, Johansson was cast as transgender man Dante ‘Tex’ Gill in a planned true crime film titled Rub and Tug.
Social media users called out the star for joining the project and actors including Transparent’s Trace Lysette and Sense8’s Jamie Clayton criticised the news, remarking that transgender actors are rarely cast in cisgender roles.
“I wouldn’t be as upset if I was getting in the same rooms as Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett for cis roles, but we know that’s not the case,” Lysette wrote, describing the move as “a mess.”
An initial response from Johansson’s representatives did little to quell the backlash, as they stated: “Tell [media outlets] that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”
The actress later backtracked on the remarks and announced that she had “respectfully withdrawn” from the project.
“In light of recent ethical questions raised surrounding my casting as Dante ‘Tex’ Gill, I have decided to respectfully withdraw my participation in the project,” she said in a statement to Out magazine.
“Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realise that it was insensitive.”
2019: Johansson claims she should be allowed to play ‘any person, or any tree, or any animal’
Alluding to the casting controversies in an interview with As If magazine in July, Johansson suggested that “art should be free of restrictions” and that she should therefore “be allowed” to take “any” role.
“You know, as an actor I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job,” she told the publication.
“I feel like [political correctness is] a trend in my business and it needs to happen for various social reasons, yet there are times it does get uncomfortable when it affects the art because I feel art should be free of restrictions.”
The actress later addressed her comments in a statement released through her representatives and claimed that the remarks had been “taken out of context” by media outlets who reported on the interview, amid further backlash on social media.
“An interview that was recently published has been edited for click bait and is widely taken out of context,” the statement read.
“The question I was answering in conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art.
“I personally feel that, in an ideal world, any actor should be able to play anybody and Art, in all forms, should be immune to political correctness.”
She said that she “recognises” the “widespread discrepancy” in Hollywood “that favours Caucasian, cis gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that [she has] been privileged to.”
In her recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Johansson said that she is “done” speaking about whether actors should portray characters of different races or gender identities to their own.
“There’s other voices that have more to say on this that probably need a microphone,” she said. “Yeah. I think I’m done speaking on that subject.”
SOURCE: standard.co.uk
