For trans actors, getting cast isn't easy especially up against Scarlett Johansson

If Alec Butler wantsa part in a movie or a play, he's mostlyhad to write it himself.

The Cape Breton born, Toronto-based trans actorhas written films and plays starring himself as things are"very dry" otherwise.

"It's disappointing and kind of depressing to be a trans actor in this country, in North America," he said.

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So he was disheartened to see yet another transrole going to a non-transgender actor this time, Scarlett Johansson, one of the top grossing actors in Hollywood.Shewill playa transgender maninRub & Tug, a film about crime boss Dante (Tex) Gill, who ran an empire of massage parlours. Hewas born a femalebut identified as a man.

"It shows her privilege," said Butler, of Johansson."It's bad form on her part to take another role away from a trans actor who could use the work, use the exposure [and] portray a trans person more authentically."

Acting is 'pretending'

Johansson will alsoserveas the film's producer. Trans actor Jesse Todd thinks the actressshould have used that influence to say "this should go to a transactor."

"Scarlet Johansson is a great actor, no one is denying that, but it'sgoing to be so much richer if you actually have a trans actor playing that part." She faced similar criticism for playing a Japanese woman in 2017 flopGhost in the Shell.

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A representative for Johansson shrugged off all the backlash, quoted in the online magazine Bustleassaying: "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."

Those are all othernon-transgender actors who have earned acclaim and awards for portrayingtrans characters onscreen (in Transparent, Dallas Buyers ClubandTransAmerica, respectively).

Quebec's Jean-Marc Valle directed Dallas Buyers Club and doesn't agree with the backlash.

"[It] doesn't mean that because Iam casting this type of role that I need to go to this type of person. This is the nature of acting. It's pretending," he said from Montreal on Wednesday.

"It's not about aiming for ... anastronaut because your character is an astronaut."

But Todd believes this role would be a particularly bigonefor a transperson to tacklebecauseit is not aboutbeing trans or going through transition as stage and screen storiesabouttrans people tend to be about.

"It's not just about their body, not just about this bodily transition, not just about being a victim of violence, or rapeor murder," he said.

"This could be a well rounded character, so let a trans person do it, because they're going to do a better job."

'I may never work in film again'

There areinitiatives underway to put transactors on the map.

Last fall, the Casting Directors Association of America held two open casting calls for transgender actors in Toronto and Montreal. In Los Angeles, there's now a major new talent agency called Transgender Talent,specifically devoted to representing transactors.

It also helps that afew transgender actors havehad breakthrough roles in recent years, most notablyLaverne Cox onOrange is the New Black.There's been lots of pushing for more opportunities and improved roles though.

Toddjust had his first leadin the CanadianshortWe Forgot toBreak Up.He's worried about what's next.

"I'm not in the industry.I'm not getting auditions.I'm not getting work, so it really just feels like this is all coming to an end for me," he said."As soon as this festival circuit is up, I may never work in film again."

Danielle Solzman, a transmovie critic from Chicago, wants more producers and filmmakers to take chances ontransactors.

"There are transgender talent out there that are not getting the opportunity to become famous because we're not essentially being allowed into the room," she said.

"If we don't get the opportunities, we're not going to get the chance to become those bankable names."