Ed Skrein takes a stand against white-washing in Hollywood and has stepped down from the newest installment of the Hellboy franchise.
Ed Skrein made headlines this week when he left the latest Hellboy movie over controversy about his role as Ben Daimio.
Fans of the franchise know Daimio as the Japanese-American character from the Dark Horse comics featuring Hellboy. In the comics, Daimo returns from the dead to work for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense and becomes an integral part of the Hellboy universe.
Skrein, who played the villain in Deadpool, released a statement via Twitter Monday, explaining his decision to quit the film, citing white-washing as the main reason for his resignation.
— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017
His statement suggests he was unaware of the character’s heritage when he first accepted the role, but now that he’s informed, he’s “decided to step down.”
The actor goes on to say mention that, “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.”
His decision has been met with high praise from his colleagues and filmmakers. Support has been pouring in from Twitter users, applauding his choice to stand up for responsible casting.
Gonna remember this actor when writing and casting... @edskrein https://t.co/WDzDHUvKkK
— Lᴇᴏɴᴀʀᴅ Cʜᴀɴɢ 🤙 (@leonardchang) August 28, 2017
The kind of leadership we need more of in Hollywood—major props to @edskrein for bowing out of Hellboy in response to whitewashing outrage 🙏 pic.twitter.com/NLMV0wv4tv
— Jeff Yang 🫶 FOLLOW ME @ORIGINALSPIN ON THREADS/IG (@originalspin) August 28, 2017
Respect to @edskrein for setting the example & reminding us progress requires sacrifice & representation is collective responsibility 👊🏽👏🏽 https://t.co/ExXDedgDFB
— Riz Ahmed (@rizwanahmed) August 29, 2017
Since Skrein stepped down, producers have committed to better casting choices concerning the reboot. Producers Lloyd Levin and Larry Gordon issued a joint statement with Lionsgate and Millennium. “Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this,” said their statement to Deadline. “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.”
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The new Hellboy currently stars David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, and Ian McShane, but there is no word yet on who will replace Skrein.