Star faced a barrage of criticism following her casting.
Scarlett Johansson has quit her role in the upcoming film 'Rub and Tug' following criticism of her playing a transgender character.
The actress had been set to play the lead in the biopic of a US massage parlour owner - a woman who lived as a man and had ties to organised crime.
Initially Scarlett pointed to other actors who played trans roles telling critics, “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”
However, under mounting pressure she decided to withdraw.
She released a full statement to Out magazine which read, "In light of recent ethical questions raised surrounding my casting as Dante Tex Gill, I have decided to respectfully withdraw my participation in the project. Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive. I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues."
She previously came under fire for perceived "white washing" after she starred in the remake of Japanese sci-fi film 'Ghost in the Shell' last year
