Actor Ed Skrein quits Hellboy reboot after whitewashing controversy

Actor Ed Skrein has quit the upcoming Hellboy reboot after the film faced accusations of whitewashing from comic fans.

The former Game of Thrones actor was announced last week to be playing Major Ben Daimio in the new blockbuster based on the DC Comics franchise. https://twitter.com/edskrein/status/899759515033362433 But the news was quickly met with anger from many fans of the series, who were quick to point out that the original character was of Asian descent. https://twitter.com/paulengelhard/status/899976257429012481 https://twitter.com/Wheeler/status/899779931474993152 https://twitter.com/axchu1/status/900586692498735104 https://twitter.com/JohnnyP3rd/status/900050012838744064 Ed shared a statement on his social media account following the backlash, where he revealed that he would not be continuing in the role - and wouldn't have agreed to it if he had known the character's ethnicity. His lengthy statement read:

“There has been intense conversation and understandable since that announcement, and I must do 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 tenency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts.

Featured image via Ed Skrein/Instagram.