Scarlett Johansson draws criticism for playing transgender in 'Rub & Tub'

Scarlett Johansson has issued a statement after receiving flak regarding playing the role of a transgender in her newly-announced movie, "Rub & Tub".

The 33-year-old actor is set to portray Jean Marie Gill, who succeeded in Pittsburgh's 1970s and 1980s massage parlour and prostitution business by assuming the identity of a man, Dante 'Tex' Gill.

Soon after the announcement, fans and critics pointed out that Gill seems to have lived as a transgender man, not a cisgender woman like Johansson.

The "Avengers: Infinity War" star also faced criticism in response to her casting as a Japanese human-cybor in "Ghost in the Shell", which many fans perceived as whitewashing.

When asked for comment, the representatives for the actor told Bustle, "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."