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    Scarlett Johansson: Comments on diversity were misconstrued

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1875 Views
    In a Tuesday, April 23, 2019 file photo, Scarlett Johansson, a member of the cast of "Avengers: End Game," appears at a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Scarlett Johansson says comments she made on the "authentic casting" debate have been taken out of context and asserts that she supports diversity in film.

    The actress came under fire in 2017 for playing an Asian character in "Ghost in the Shell" and canceled plans last year to portray a transgender man in the upcoming film "Rub & Tug," after transgender actors and advocates questioned the casting.

    In a recent interview with As If magazine, she said actors should be allowed to play any person "because that is my job and the requirement of my job."

    Johansson said Saturday that those comments were subsequently edited in other publications for "clickbait."

    "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," she said in a statement.

    "I recognize that in reality, there is a wide spread discrepancy amongst my industry that favors Caucasian, cisgender actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to."

    Tags:diversityScarlett Johansson



    What will happen to CNBC and MSNBC when they no longer have a corporate connection to NBC News?

    Thursday, November 21, 2024
    MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow, left, Lawrence O'Donnell, center, and Chris Matthews take part in a panel discussion at the NBC Universal summer press tour, Aug. 2, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

    Comcast's corporate reorganization means that there will soon be two television networks with "NBC" in their name — CNBC and MSNBC — that will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News. How that affects viewers of those networks, along with the people who work there, still needs to shake out. Their new corporate leader, Mark Lazarus, visited the set of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" as the plan was being announced on Wednesday and spoke to network staff members during a morning conference call to address concerns. Comcast is spinning off most of its cable networks, also including USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and the Golf Channel, into a separate company. That recognizes how streaming is considered the future and the cable networks are a drag on the bottom line. In the space of a lifetime, the networks went from upstarts aside a legacy operation like NBC to profitable superstars to castoffs. Questions range from the simple to complex Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Universal Media Group, is becoming CEO of the newly-formed company of cable networks, temporarily dubbed "SpinCo." Cesar Conde, who as NBC Universal News Group chairman had oversight of CNBC and MSNBC, will lose those networks from his portfolio, yet remain in charge of NBC News, NBC News Now streaming, Telemundo and the news operations of the NBC-owned local stations. The presence of Lazarus and Anand Kini, who will be chief operating officer and chief financial officer of SpinCo, is a good sign for the new company, said Jessica Reif Ehrlich, research analyst for the Bank of America. "You can't dismiss it as getting rid of the crappy assets, because these are talented executives," she said. At MSNBC, questions about the future range from the simple — will it even keep its... Read More

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