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Why Scarlett Johansson is 'thankful' for the debate that led her to drop out of a movie.

Just 10 days after announcing that she'd be starring in the upcoming Dante "Tex" Gill biopic, Scarlett Johansson has dropped out.

The controversial role would have seen Johansson as Gill, a transgender man and massage parlor operator who gained notoriety in the '70s and '80s.

There was immediate backlash to her casting, with a number of red flags apparent even in the film's announcement itself: The story, broken by Deadline, described Gill by his birth name and strongly hinted that the movie would center around the "fiery romance with her [sic] girlfriend."

In other words, it sounded a lot like this man's story was about to be turned into a lesbian love drama — which, according to one of Gill's relatives, he probably wouldn't have been super thrilled by.

Yikes.

Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

Johansson's withdrawal from the film illustrates a respectful look at the importance of ethics in entertainment.

Her statement, provided to Out.com, expressed regret for her original defense of the casting and added that she realized she wasn't approaching the topic with the sensitivity it deserves.

"I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues," she said, highlighting stats provided by GLAAD showing a drop in trans representation between 2016 and 2017. "While I would have loved the opportunity to bring Dante's story and transition to life, I understand why many feel he should be portrayed by a transgender person, and I am thankful that this casting debate, albeit controversial, has sparked a larger conversation about diversity and representation in film."

Certainly, there will be people who view this move as an example of an internet mob, political correctness run amok, or something else of the sort. It's not.

People have strong opinions about casting decisions all the time. Sometimes the people upset with the casting decisions get it right (sorry, Jake Gyllenhaal, but the "Prince of Persia" role just wasn't a good fit), and sometimes they get it laughably wrong (in 2006, a lot of people were apoplectic over Heath Ledger as the Joker).

The point is that these things happen, they get talked about a lot, and then they fade.

For some reason, however, not all criticisms seem to be treated equally. At times, particularly when the issue involves roles crossing transgender or racial lines, there's a backlash to the backlash. It's almost as though everybody has emotions and opinions about certain things, but certain groups have those emotions and opinions policed more than others.

The simple truth is that sometimes a role just isn't a good fit for someone. Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out of the Freddie Mercury biopic. Ed Skrein ducked out of the "Hellboy" reboot. Terry Crews dropped out of "Expendables 4." They all have very different reasons for doing so. It's fine.

[rebelmouse-image 19479295 dam="1" original_size="750x498" caption="While not a household name like Johansson, actor and comedian Ian Harvie, a trans man, certainly looks more like Gill than the "Avengers" star. Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images." expand=1]While not a household name like Johansson, actor and comedian Ian Harvie, a trans man, certainly looks more like Gill than the "Avengers" star. Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images.

Nobody made Johansson drop out. She did it anyway — and that's a big credit to her.

As a transgender person, I honestly dread the handwringing we're about to see from people and how it'll be weaponized against my community.

Nobody forced Johansson to drop out of the movie. In the coming days and weeks, I feel like that's important to remember.

[rebelmouse-image 19479296 dam="1" original_size="750x506" caption="Much to the chagrin of trans people everywhere, Jared Leto won an Oscar for his heavily criticized portrayal of a trans woman in "Dallas Buyers Club." Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images." expand=1]Much to the chagrin of trans people everywhere, Jared Leto won an Oscar for his heavily criticized portrayal of a trans woman in "Dallas Buyers Club." Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

Johansson could have, as many actors have before, put out the film anyway. It probably would have made many people cringe, it probably would have been pretty ahistorical, and it probably wouldn't have done much to advance the cause of trans acceptance — but she could have done it. Maybe she'd have even won an award for it.

What she did instead shows that she listened to people expressing valid concerns and she was thoughtful in considering the issues they were raising. I hope that people give her credit for listening to feedback and responding like a person who wants to learn, grow, and be empathetic.

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She ditched a 9-5 to act. Now she's starring in 'Crazy Rich Asians.' Here's her story.

When Tan Kheng Hua was offered the role of Kerry Chu in "Crazy Rich Asians," she didn't hesitate to accept it.

Though the Singaporean actress has certainly made a name for herself on big screens in southeastern Asia, the opportunity to act in a major U.S. film — a historic film at that — was a unparalleled opportunity.

"Did we honestly have to wait so long for an all-Asian Hollywood film to come out?" Tan asks me during our candid interview.

[rebelmouse-image 19477817 dam="1" original_size="735x448" caption="All images courtesy of "Crazy Rich Asians"/Warner Bros." expand=1]All images courtesy of "Crazy Rich Asians"/Warner Bros.

"Crazy Rich Asians" is the first Hollywood film to feature a predominately Asian cast in more than 20 years.

Based on the beloved book, "Crazy Rich Asians" follows Rachel Chu and Nick Young through a meet-the-parents summer in Singapore. Unbeknownst to Rachel, though, the parents she's meeting are excessively wealthy and raised her boyfriend in a literal castle. Helping her navigate this unexpected terrain is her fierce and firm mom, Kerry.

The character Kerry Chu.

Kerry Chu is the opposite of the overbearing, only-grades-matter Asian tropes usually shown in U.S. film and television.

Kerry offers a refreshing and not-typically-seen representation of balanced parenting, something that reminded Tan of raising her own children.

"My relationship with my daughter is very similar to the one that Carrie has with Rachel in that verbal communication is a tool," she explains. "We talk to each other, we verbalize feelings, we express our wants and needs of each other. And this verbal communication is something that I consider is actually very Western. And my own parents who are very [stereotypically] Asian brought me up in a completely different way and in a very Asian way."

Tan further explains her definition of parenting "the Asian Way," saying:

"As a child I was expected to do a lot of housework and expected to come home every day at dinner time and have a meal and to sit down at the table with my entire family. Let me just tell you, I love my parents to death. They are the best parents in the world. But, times have changed ... and contemporary Western culture has changed many of the traditional Asian ways of a leading life."

As a former marketing professional, Tan's dedication to excellence and bucking the status quo has been a decades-long endeavor.

"I went to Indiana University at Bloomington and I got myself a Bachelor of Science, but in my heart, I'd always loved the arts," she says. "I loved my job, don't get me wrong. I was also good at it. But I thought to myself,  'I have devoted most of the hours of my day to this corporate job and devoted also a large portion of my time to my passion — which was acting — and I've got enough money saved up. Why don't I try to just see what it feels like to wake up in the morning and to be a indulging this passion for acting for the whole day?'"

Since that decision, Tan has appeared in a number of films and shows, such as her role as Margaret Phua in "Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd," Ali Tan in "Cages," and the Empress Dowager in "Marco Polo."

But now, she's stepped into another world in "Crazy Rich Asians."

Tan joins a cast that hails from Malaysia, Taiwan, and Singapore, nodding to the diversity inherent of Asian identities.

As a supporting actress in the highly anticipated film, Tan has been surrounded by a work energy that she hasn't seen in her career, largely because the people that play the characters actually reflect the characters in the book.

"What matters is that a group of people are coming together," Tan says. "A group of people who have immense talent, at all levels, from all over the world coming together to tell this story that was so beautifully put together and a story about culture that I am a part of, that I feel has never been told."

And as for the future? Tan dreams of one where it doesn't take nearly 30 years for another all-Asian film to be greenlit by Hollywood.

"I would like audiences to look at 'Crazy Rich Asians' and to enjoy the movie and to see how good it is," she says, "and hopefully one day just be able to just look at pieces of work and just say, 'Oh wow, it was good. It's so well-made. It's so funny.' And [I want people to] not just keep dividing the world into races and faiths. I would also like everybody to see talent — and not just for my own country — but from around the world."

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These trans artists reveal the first time they truly felt represented in TV and film.

A new TV series is helping spread the word about why representation in entertainment matters.

Identifying with characters onscreen is a privilege many people take for granted. That kind of representation is vital — but it's not something everyone is lucky enough to experience.

"First Time I Saw Me," a new series of videos from Netflix and GLAAD, features eight transgender artists sharing the first time they felt represented in TV and film.

Seeing people we relate to onscreen makes us feel like full members of society, while seeing people different from us helps us overcome stereotypes and fear of the unknown.

"When it comes to transgender characters, we need more of them," said Nick Adams, director of transgender media at GLAAD. "But then we need to improve the quality of them."

For people in underrepresented communities, greater inclusion also means stories and characters that move beyond surface descriptions and stereotypical tropes. "I would love to get to the point where there's a transgender character on a show and literally nothing about their storyline has anything to do with them being trans," said actor Elliot Fletcher.

The artists featured in "First Time I Saw Me" said that getting there means breaking down the barriers to entry and including more trans people in auditions, the writing process, and behind-the-camera work like directing and producing. Telling more authentic stories means involving those people directly in the creative process.

"If you want to create an authentic trans experience on film, involve trans people," actor Jamie Clayton said.

Greater inclusion makes for better stories that more people can enjoy and identify with.

We've seen great strides made in recent years, including in the portrayal of transgender characters.

"Having this kind of representation of different types of people allows us to complicate human experience for other people," said writer and trans advocate Tiq Milan. "That's the starting point, when people start to see trans people as complex individuals."

There's still a lot of work to be done, but the good news is that audiences have been responding well to greater representation.

Diversifying our media is not only the right thing to do — it also results in more interesting and diverse storytelling.  

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Hank Azaria gave an honest answer about his controversial 'Simpsons' role.

If you're a fan of "The Simpsons," you definitely know — and may even adore — Apu.

The Indian Kwik-E-Mart owner who reliably tells his customers, "Thank you, come again" is a clownish series favorite among many "Simpsons" diehards.

But in recent months, more attention has been paid to "The Problem with Apu" — both in the actual sense and the documentary from comedian Hari Kondabolu, which premiered last year on TruTV.

[rebelmouse-image 19491114 dam="1" original_size="492x326" caption="GIF via "The Simpsons."" expand=1]GIF via "The Simpsons."

Now, Hank Azaria — the actor whose voice has brought Apu (and a host of other "Simpsons" characters) to life onscreen for decades — has spoken out about the controversy that's ensnared his contentious character since the documentary aired.

And, fortunately, he hit all the right notes.  

But hold on! *pumps brakes*

Before you roll your eyes thinking this is just another one of those stories about an actor bowing to the P.C. police, you should at least know that Kondabolu, a New Yorker of Indian descent, has never criticized the show for its lack of political correctness.

The Fox series has long held a special place in his heart and personal history; he simply wanted it to do better.

"I was obsessed with 'The Simpsons' growing up and it has greatly influenced my comedy," Kondabolu said in a statement in September 2017.

"However," he noted, "as my mother proves, you can criticize something you love because you expect more from it."

A month later, in November 2017, Kondabolu explained to the BBC why Apu — who speaks in a caricatured accent and is often defined by the stereotypes associated with his South Asian identity — has been so harmful:

“Apu was the only Indian we had on TV at all so I was happy for any representation as a kid. And of course he's funny, but that doesn't mean this representation is accurate or right or righteous. It gets to the insidiousness of racism, though, because you don't even notice it when it's right in front of you. It becomes so normal that you don't even think about it. It seeps into our language to the point we don't even question it because it seems like it's just been that way forever.”

After months of silence from the series' creators, "The Simpsons" addressed the controversy in an episode that aired in early April 2018 — but totally botched the response. The episode used a conversation between Marge and Lisa as an attempt to illustrate the predicament the show found itself in.

"Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect," Lisa said in the episode, as the camera panned to include a picture of Apu. "What can you do?"

In a series of tweets, Kondabolu reiterated that his criticisms weren't about political correctness, but the problems that result from a lack of proper media representation.

Clearly, "Simpson" critics were not pleased. So finally, on April 24, Azaria addressed the issue as a guest on "The Late Show."

It went much better.

Speaking with Stephen Colbert, Azaria said his "eyes have been opened" to the problem with Apu.

He continued:

"I think the most important thing is that we have to listen to South Asian people, Indian people, in this country when they talk about what they feel and how they think about this character, and what their American experience of it has been."

The actor called for more artists of South Asian descent to have a seat at the writers' table for shows like "The Simpsons" so that characters like Apu are shaped by those who've actually lived similar experiences, and noted that he's open to evolving or ending his work on the show, if it's decided that's what's best.

"I'm perfectly willing and happy to step aside or help transition [Apu] into something new," Azaria said. "I really hope that's what 'The Simpsons' does. It not only makes sense, but it just feels like the right thing to do to me."

Like I said: This isn't a story about an actor forced to apologize for being un-P.C. It's a story about an actor understanding exactly how his character exacerbates a bigger cultural problem.

Characters like Apu are not only steeped in harmful, inaccurate stereotypes, but they're often the only depictions of marginalized groups many white Americans see on TV. If "The Simpsons" had featured other prominent South Asian characters in its nearly three decades of fictional storylines, the problem with Apu would be far less scarring to fans like Kondabolu. (He's not calling for Apu to be scrubbed from past episodes, by the way.)

“After a while, you’d watch 'The Simpsons' on a Sunday and you’d get a sense of how you’d be made fun of at school on Monday, based on what Apu did in the latest episode," the comedian told the BBC.

Apu's depiction really did have — and still has — real-world consequences.

Kondabolu, however, saw Azaria's interview with Colbert. And he's happy with how the comedian broached the topic.

Azaria's response to the controversy is an encouraging sign, but the problem with Apu remains.

So, until our TV screens reflect the real world we live in — where marginalized groups are portrayed both frequently and fairly — let's follow Kondabolu's lead and demand better of the shows we love.

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