Hellboy Actor Drops Out of Role After Learning of the Character’s Origins – “… What I Feel is Right”
“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. I feel it is important to honor and respect that.”
“Whitewashing” has been a term circulating a lot recently, but does scale back to an issue a long time in the making. With the presence of social media being stronger than ever before, this Hollywood debate now has a bigger spotlight on it than ever before. Because of this, many bigger voices in film scene are speaking out about what they feel is right and what changes they’d like to see about the representation in Hollywood and characters being accurately portrayed. Because of this, actor Ed Skrein made a public announcement to his fans of his recent departure from the Hellboy reboot after he learned of his character’s origins.
Ed Skrein was set to play Ben Daimio in the upcoming reboot. When his pick for the role was made public, many fans made their concerns known about the casting choice. The original character has a mixed Asian background and according to Skrein, he didn’t know this about Daimio’s heritage. In an effort to “do what I feel is right,” the actor decided to step down from his role on the future film. Below is the full message he said to fans:
— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017
So far, those looking forward to the upcoming reboot can expect to see Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) back in action as the Blood Queen, as well as David Harbour and Deadwood’s Ian McShane. There is no set release date for when the Hellboy reboot will hit theaters.
What are your thoughts on Skrein’s decision to step down? Do you think he is making a positive step towards a more accurate Hollywood or do you have other feelings towards this move? Sound off with your thoughts on both Ed and the upcoming reboot in the comment section below. As always, don’t forget to check out DFTG on Twitter for gaming and entertainment news live 24/7!
Liana Ruppert578 Posts
With an arguably unhealthy obsession with Mass Effect, Liana has been an avid collector of gaming and comic memorabilia for well over two decades. With a passion for writing, gaming, and comics - she is currently working as Editor-in-Chief for the revival of Prima Games, with previous managing editor experience with several gaming publications including ComicBook.com, The Hollywood Reporter, TwinGalaxies, and other outlets. She is also the Co-Owner and Managing Editor for DFTG. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, as well as several Facebook communities online.
