Scarlett Johansson sexy image in bikini

“I feel like it’s 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,” she continued.

The role she didn’t mention directly was her casting in Rub & Tug. The film follows the true-life story of Tex Gill, a transgender man who became a crime kingpin in the 1970s. Johansson dropped out of the role after facing heavy criticism for agreeing to play the character despite being cisgender herself.

This is a phenomena that can have severe consequences for the perception of transgender people, as Laverne Cox explained to Variety in an actor’s roundtable.