Scarlett Johansson says her political views shouldn't affect her career because it's not her job to 'have a public role in society'

• Scarlett Johansson said her political views shouldn't affect her career as an actor.
• She told The Gentlewoman it was "unfair" to expect actors "to have a public role in society."
• The actor also said she'd "made a career out of" controversies and is "going to have opinions."

Scarlett Johansson recently said her personal beliefs shouldn't interfere with her acting career, adding that she never signed up to be a politician.

"I don't think actors have obligations to have a public role in society," the 36-year-old "Black Widow" star told the UK magazine The Gentlewoman, calling it "unfair" to place the expectation on those who don't want it.

"You didn't choose to be a politician, you're an actor," she added.

Johansson said that her job is to "reflect" life experiences and "be a mirror" for audiences to "have an empathetic experience through art." She said she felt most successful in her work when she connects with the audience and makes them "feel something."

"They have an emotional reaction to it - good, bad, uncomfortable, validating, whatever. That's my job. The other stuff is not my job," she said.

Johansson said she'd 'made a career out of' controversy

Despite a desire to keep her views separate from her work, the "Marriage Story" actress has faced backlash numerous times in recent years.

Many people have accused her of whitewashing, pointing to Major Kusanagi, an originally Asian character that she played in the 2017 movie "Ghost in the Shell."

In an interview with Marie Claire that year, Johansson said she "would never presume to play another race of a person" or want to play "a character that was offensive." She called it a "rare opportunity" to play a female protagonist.

Many people online were upset when Johansson defended Woody Allen in 2019 amid sexual-assault allegations against him. Johansson and Allen worked together on films like "Scoop," "Match Point," and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Her decision in 2018 to accept a role as a transgender man in "Rub & Tug" also drew a strong reaction from people who said it was insensitive for a cisgender woman to take on the part.

She initially released a statement directing critics to speak with other cisgender actors who had played transgender characters in movies. She later dropped the project, saying she had "mishandled" the situation.

But in July 2019, she told As If magazine that she "should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal," reviving the controversy surrounding her "Rub & Tug" casting.

Johansson later told Insider in a statement that the comment had been "edited for click bait and is widely taken out of context."

In her recent conversation with The Gentlewoman, Johansson said she'd "made a career out of " controversies, adding that she's "going to have opinions about things" because of who she is.

"Everyone has a hard time admitting when they're wrong about stuff, and for all of that to come out publicly, it can be embarrassing," she said, adding, "I'm also a person."

The Oscar-nominated star also said she was working on "recognizing when it's not your turn to speak."

"I can be reactive. I can be impatient," she said. "That doesn't mix that great with self-awareness."