Ed Skrein Exits Hellboy Reboot Amid Whitewashing Controversy
Ed Skrein has left the Hellboy reboot after an outcry over his casting.
It was reported last week that Skrein had joined Hellboy: The Rise of the Blood Queen and was set to play rugged military member Major Ben Daimio, who in the comic books is Asian. Some on social media objected to the casting, calling it another example of Hollywood whitewashing a character.
And after a mounting outcry, Skrein has decided to leave the project, sharing the news Monday on Twitter.
"It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voice in the Arts,” he tweeted. “I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately," the British actor wrote in a statement. "Representation of ethnic diversity is important, especially to me as I have a mixed heritage family. It is our responsibility to make moral decisions in difficult times and to give voice to inclusivity. It is my hope that one day these discussions will become less necessary and that we can help make equal representation in the Arts a reality."
After Ghost in the Shell and more recently Death Note, there has been a worrying trend of hiring white actors to play predominantly Asian characters but this is the first time an actor has left a project because of it.
Skrein swiftly began receiving praise online after making his announcement.
Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen will see Stranger Things David Harbour take on the role of Hellboy, the demonic hero of Mike Mignola’s comic book series. The film will be directed by Game of Thrones’ Neil Marshall and co-star Milla Jovovich and Ian McShane.
Harbour was quick to praise Skrein for making the right choice, tweeting: "Hey internet. Thank you for your voices. An injustice was done and will be corrected. Many thanks to @edskrein for doing what is right."
Producers Larry Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Millennium and Lionsgate also released a statement Monday in support of Skrein's decision: "Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision. It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material."
