It was only recently announced that British actor Ed Skrein was to play the role of Major Ben Daimio in HELLBOY, but on Monday, it became clear that he had made a U-turn and has pulled out of the role in the upcoming reboot.
Ed Skrein felt the pressure after a backlash because he was cast as a character of Asian heritage.
The DEADPOOL star, took to social media to explain that he was unaware of the race of Major Ben Daimio when he accepted the part in the comic book adaptation.
On Twitter, he wrote a lengthy note explaining that he was stepping down “so the role can be cast appropriately”.
— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017
When the casting for the movie was announced, it caused widespread accusations of Hollywood “whitewashing” following other recent rows.
The 34-year-old British rapper turned actor, also known for a role in GAME OF THRONES and THE TRANSPORTER: REFUELLED, assured his followers on Twitter that the decision had not been easy as there had been “intense conversation and understandable upset” since he was cast in the film as the Japanese-American character.
“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 voices in the arts,” he shared.
Hellboy producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin have since made a joint statement with backers Lionsgate and Millennium to add their support. “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.”
Ed Skrein will next be seen in manga adaptation ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, produced by James Cameron.
What do you think of the latest news of Skrein quitting the role? Let us know what you think in the comment box below or tweet us @filmandtvnow.
Meanwhile you cast a black or any other race in a white role and no one bats an I eye. As a die hard fan of Hellboy and the world created round him they’re not wrong about Major Ben’s descent but this is still a perfect example of the equality nazis shoving there aganda down the people’s throats like toddlers in a blasted baby chair.
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