Casting remarks were edited for click bait: Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson has clarified her recent comments about political correctness and casting in Hollywood. She explained that her quotes were "edited for click bait" and "widely taken out of context."

"An interview that was recently published has been edited for click bait and is widely taken out of context," the actor said in a statement, referring to a recent article.

In that interview, she seemed to be reflecting upon her casting as a transgender man in Rub and Tug, a film she quit last year. "The question I was answering in my 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. That is the point I was making, albeit didn't come across that way," Johansson clarified in the statement.

Last July, Johansson dropped out of Rupert Sanders' Rub & Tug, in which she was attached to portray real-life figure Dante Tex Gill, gangster and massage parlour owner, following outrage from the LGBT community.

The actor also went on to clear up some of the points made during the original interview, emphasising that there is a gulf between Caucasian, cis-gendered actors and their colleagues when it comes to opportunities.

"I recognise that in reality, there is a widespread discrepancy amongst my industry that favours Caucasian, cis-gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to have," she said.

With the interview in question, Johansson once again found herself at the centre of a controversy, this time for her response to a question about political correctness and her casting in Rub & Tub, directed by Rupert Sanders. "You know, as an actor I should be able to play any person, or any tree, or any animal, because that's my job and the requirements of my job.I feel like it (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," she had said.

Sanders' previous film Ghost in the Shell (2017), starring Johansson as a Japanese manga character, had also received a lot of backlash for casting a Caucasian actor for the role. The film was accused of racism and whitewashing.