Thursday, March 28, 2024

Trevor Noah Calls Out Scarlett Johansson’s Controverisal ‘Diversity’ Comments [VIDEO]

*Trevor Noah is the latest celeb to address Scarlett Johansson’s comments about diversity and “political correctness” in casting, which she says have been taken out of context.

Referring to her interview with As If magazine, the actress said: “An interview that was recently published has been edited for click bait and is widely taken out of context,” Johansson said in a statement over the weekend. In her conversation with As If, she was quoted as saying, “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.”

ScarJo later clarified what she was trying to articulate in the statement, “The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art.” She went on to say, “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.”

“The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art.”

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trevor noah

In response to her comments about representation in the arts, Noah shared his opinion on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” Wednesday night. He noted how Johansson “has a record for coming under fire for playing roles that people have said could go to other minority groups.”

He then called out her controversial role in “Ghost in the Shell,” where she played a Japanese character in the anime adaptation. Noah also mentioned how Johansson turned down the role of real-life transgender Dante Tex Gill in the feature film “Rub & Tug.”

“I understand why you might want to get defensive as a person. I can even understand why some white people might feel like they’re under attack in and around these conversations,” Noah said. “But I think what’s often lost is when Scarlett goes, ‘I should be allowed to play an animal or a tree or anything,’ and it’s like, yes, but that’s exactly what people are saying: For so long, Hollywood and the people who define storytelling in America have defined it as stories to be told for and by white people. And so the roles that have generally been reserved for black people have been the stereotype of criminal, maid, slave. That’s pretty much it.”

He goes on to say, “We take for granted how much representation means to human beings, I think in two ways. One: in an inspirational front, and two: just how it shapes society.” As an example, he mentions how Muslims are often associated with terrorists via narratives that are “propagated by Hollywood.” 

“You’d think that a place that considers itself so liberal would try to find a place to represent people. There are middle Eastern stories that run the gamut,” Noah said on his late-night talker. “There’s a show on Hulu called Rami, it shows you what it’s like to be a Muslim family living in America. It’s authentic, and those stories are so important, not in a charity way, but in a ‘great TV, great stories, great inclusivity’ kind of way.”

Noah concluded by pointing out to Johansson that her critics are simply noting the “luxury” she has of choosing any role she wants while non-white performers in Hollywood are often stereotyped.

Watch his full statement via the YouTube video above.

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