“If your feminism isn’t intersectional and means you’re happy to screw over women of colour, then it means nothing.”

Scarlett Johansson has again come under fire for her recent comments about her choice to play the lead character in the live-action adaption of the anime Ghost in the Shell.

Paramount Pictures

The decision to cast a white woman as a beloved Japanese character immediately angered a lot of people, with many calling it yet another example of Hollywood’s whitewashing.

The decision to cast a white woman as a beloved Japanese character immediately angered a lot of people, with many calling it yet another example of Hollywood's whitewashing.

But while both the director and producer of the film have defended the casting decision, Johansson herself has remained relatively quiet about the controversy – until now.

Paramount Pictures

In a conversation with Marie Claire published this week, Johansson says that she “certainly would never presume to play another race of a person,” and that “diversity is important in Hollywood.” She then pivots the conversation away from the topic of race to one of gender, explaining that “having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity.”

In a conversation with Marie Claire published this week, Johansson says that she "certainly would never presume to play another race of a person," and that "diversity is important in Hollywood." She then pivots the conversation away from the topic of race to one of gender, explaining that "having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity."