Scarlett Johansson responds to criticism around her playing a transgender man

Scarlett Johansson has responded to criticism surrounding her latest movie role.

The actor is set to play Dante 'Tex' Gill in Rub & Tug, an upcoming film about a massage parlour owner who overcomes an industry dominated by men to become one of the top dogs. Gill is said to have lived as a transgender man before his death in 2003. Johansson and the movie's director, Rupert Sanders, have since received criticism from many people who believe that transgender roles should go to transgender actors. A representative for the Johansson told Bustle today: "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment." Tambor, Leto, and Huffman have also played transgender character in the past despite being cisgender themselves. Leto played transgender woman, Rayon, in Dallas Buyers Club, Tambor portrayed a transgender woman in Amazon's Transparent, and Huffman also played a transgender woman in Transamerica. Following criticism surrounding his own casting, Tambor asked that transgender actors be "given a chance." He told TIME: 

“Give them auditions. Give them their stories. Do that. "And also one more thing: I would not be unhappy were I the last cisgender male to play a female transgender on television.”

Johansson was also criticised widely last year for playing a canonically Asian character in Sanders' previous movie, Ghost in the Shell.  Rub & Tug is set for release in 2019.