Actor Steps Down From ‘Hellboy’ Role After Complaints About His Ethnicity

Actor Ed Skrein has walked away from his role in the upcoming “Hellboy” movie reboot following criticism and outrage on social media that the role was “whitewashed.”

Best known for his role as the bad guy Ajax in “Deadpool,” Skrein was tapped to play the role of Major Ben Daimio, one of the main characters in “Hellboy.” In the comic books by Mike Mignola, Daimio is described as a character of mixed-race Japanese and white American heritage with the ability to transform into a jaguar.

Preferring not to face the kind of controversy that dogged the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” or Scarlett Johansson as the Major in “Ghost in the Shell,” Skrein threw in the towel and announced his decision to turn down a role just a week after his role was announced.

The outrage brigade had no problem with how “Deadpool 2” cast the character of Domino with an African-American actress. Domino is white in the comics.

Posting on Twitter, the actor said that he initially accepted the role unaware that the character was of mixed Asian heritage. Following “intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement,” he stated he “must do what I feel is right” by turning it down.

“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 continued. “I feel it is important to honor and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.”

Skrein, who is of Jewish Austrian and English descent, stated his belief 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 to give voice to inclusivity,” he said. “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.”

The film’s producers, Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin, say they support his decision and will “look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material.”

With Skrein out of the picture, the “Hellboy” production team will have to find an actor more suitable for the role — or at least an actor without any qualms about pretending to be someone he isn’t.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.