Listen, I mostly don’t have anything against Scarlett Johansson. In fact, I like her. I long for her throaty laugh and her deep, husky voice, and I almost get it right whenever I have the flu. But I have some concerns. The bombshell recently sat down with Marie Claire and talked about being the highest-grossing actress in Hollywood history, struggling for equality as a woman and smuggling her breast pump into the Oscars. Cool! But then, she discussed the controversy surrounding her role in “Ghost in a Shell,” a film that many critics agree is another instance of Hollywood’s classic tendency to whitewash non-white characters. Related:Scarlett Johansson is 2016 top-grossing movie star Sigh. Whitewashing really isn’t cute. And neither is her hedging the issue at hand.
“I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person,” the “Avengers” actress said. “Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.” Okay, but no. It’s not about playing an offensive character. It’s about giving opportunities to people of color instead of having a white woman play the Asian lead character in a film based off a manga. Of course, the issue at hand is bigger than just Johansson— but still. Related: Zayn Malik slams critics over anxiety At least it’s a film with a definitive female lead, I’ll give her that. So, yay?