Actress Trace Lysette slams Scarlett Johansson for taking transgender role, gets death threats in return
Transgender actress Trace Lysette has received death threats after condemning Scarlett Johansson for playing a trans man in her new film.
The Avengers star sparked outrage this week by agreeing to take on the role of real-life trans man Dante “Tex” Gill in upcoming project, Rub & Tug, which will see her reunite with Ghost in the Shell director, Rupert Sanders. Johansson played a canonically Asian character in that film, which was also accused of queerbaiting and straightwashing.
Scarlett Johansson is working with Rupert Sanders again
Lysette, who stars in groundbreaking TV show, Transparent, said in response to the move that “Hollywood is so f**ked,” calling the current situation over casting trans actors “a mess” and “so twisted.”
But just hours later, the actress – whose stand against Transparent co-star Jeffrey Tambor’s alleged sexual abuse of her led to Tambor’s exit from the show – reported that her tweets had been met with hate and abuse.
“Death threats for being trans and speaking my mind… nothing new,” she told her followers.
Johansson’s decision to play a trans man was also condemned by Jamie Clayton, the first trans actress to play a trans character that was written by a trans writer on Sense8. Clayton directed her anger at both Johansson and Sanders, writing: “Actors who are trans never even get to audition FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN ROLES OF TRANS CHARACTERS. THATS THE REAL ISSUE.
The actress, who also criticised cisgender actor Matt Bomer for playing a trans sex worker in Anything, added: “WE CANT EVEN GET IN THE ROOM. Cast actors WHO ARE TRANS as NON TRANS CHARACTERS. I DARE YOU #RupertSanders @NewRegency #ScarlettJohansson.”
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4 Comments
Rehoboth
July 07, 08:46Am I missing what acting means? Most screaming equality do not really want it but want to be the new oppressors.
Keredim
July 07, 09:28My broda, I taya o!
Delle
July 07, 12:39I think I understand their outcry. These trans actors do not get to play other roles asides that which conforms to their physical disposition but cis-actors are allowed to diversify. That’s unfair.
They aren’t saying Scarlett Johansson shouldn’t play the role but no one should take an opportunity to play a ciswoman away from them.
Bee
July 09, 01:51Headache! Major headache! The cis actors shouldn’t play trans roles until the trans actor are allowed to play cis roles. This means that, right now, trans actors can only play trans roles and cis actors can play both trans and cis roles. But trans actors became trans because they wanted to be cis-opposite. I think they could do without the ‘trans’ label. So they should get cis roles more often than the trans ones, and cis actors, well, could play both cis and trans roles in whatever ratio they choose to.
Okay, bye.