Daily Times

Trace Lysette, a transgender actress and a metoo survivor, has become the latest star to criticise Scarlett Johansson’s casting as a transgender woman in ‘Rupert Sanders’ new film, ‘Rub and Tug.’ Lysette, who plays the role of a trans dancer, in Amazon’s Emmy-winning drama ‘Transparent’ had accused the show’s lead Jeffrey Tambor of sexual harassment. The series followed a father of three adult children as he made his transition into becoming a woman.

‘Rub and Tug’ is based on the life of Dante “Tex” Gill (to be played by Johansson), who ran an empire of massage parlours in Pittsburgh’s underground sex industry in the 1970s. In 2016 Johansson faced backlash after the actress was cast as a Japanese character in the film ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ based on a popular Japanese manga series.

Lysette shared her anger at Johannson’s casting, in a tweet posted on: “Hollywood is so f—–… I wouldn’t be as upset if I was getting in the same rooms as Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett for [cisgender] roles, but we know that’s not the case. A mess.

“And not only do you play us and steal our narrative and our opportunity but you pat yourselves on the back with trophies and accolades for mimicking what we have lived… so twisted. I’m so done.”

Johannson has come under fire for showing little remorse about choosing to take on the role. The actress told US feminist culture website Bustle: “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”

Lysette accused the 73-year-old actor of sexual misconduct last year. The actress claimed that Tambor told her, “My God, Trace. I want to attack you sexually”, after she emerged in her costume of skimpy pyjamas.

She then said that Tambor “came in close, put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrusts back and forth against my body”. Tambor officially departed from the series at the beginning of this year after three women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct.

Tambor responded to the claims and expressed, “deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive” but denied that he had “deliberately harassed anyone”, saying “the idea is simply and utterly untrue.”

Lysette also shared a tweet from transgender Sense8 actor jamie Clayton which lamented the lack of opportunities for trans actors in Hollywood, something that trans Orange is the New Black star, Laverne Cox, has also discussed.

Published in Daily Times, July 9^th 2018.