“An interview that was recently published has been edited for click bait and is widely taken out of context,” Johansson said in a statement via her rep, E! reports. “The question I was answering in my conversation with the contemporary artist, David Salle, was about the confrontation between political correctness and art. 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.”

She continued: “I recognize that in reality, there is a wide spread discrepancy amongst my industry that favors Caucasian, cisgendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to. I continue to support, and always have, diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included.”Scarlett Johansson recently gave a candid interview in As If magazine, accompanied with a colorful spread of pop art pH๏τos. In the interview, Johansson stated that she felt she should be allowed to play anyone or anything she wants to be, including a tree.

In a write-up of the As If interview in The Daily Mail, Johansson did not directly reference the film roles she has received the most criticism for, but she did say she felt the criticism for taking on roles of marginalized characters was overall a trend that she does not appreciate.