Amid criticism, Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has decided to drop out of the transgender role in Rub and Tug. She was roped in to portray the role of Jean Marie Gill, who succeeded in the massage parlour and prostitution business in the 1980s by assuming the identity of a man, Dante 'Tex' Gill.

While she had earlier defended the role, The Avengers star on Friday announced that her decision to pull out was made "in light of recent ethical questions raised surrounding my casting."