English actor Ed Skrein has exited the upcoming Hellboy reboot after his casting was met with widespread criticism.
The actor, best known for playing villain Ajax in last year's Marvel blockbuster Deadpool as well as Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones, had been cast as Major Ben Daimio in the latest big-screen adaptation of the comic series.
However, the casting news was met with a public outcry as the character in the comic book series is of mixed Asian heritage and some commentators said it was another example of Hollywood "whitewashing" a character.
Skrein issued a statement on Twitter telling fans he was unaware of the character's heritage before accepting the role, and announced that he was stepped down from the project.
— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017
He wrote: "I accepted the role unaware that the character in the original comics was of mixed Asian heritage. There has been intense conversation and understandable upset 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 tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voice in the Arts. I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.
"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. 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."
Hellboy producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin subsequently issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in support of Klein's decision, which read: "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."
The 34-year-old actor's decision has been met with praise from fellow actors, including The Night Of star Riz Ahmed who gave Skrein his respect for "setting the example".
Respect to @edskrein for setting the example & reminding us progress requires sacrifice & representation is collective responsibility 👊🏽👏🏽 https://t.co/ExXDedgDFB
— Riz Ahmed (@rizmc) August 29, 2017
Hey internet. Thank you for your voices.
— David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) August 28, 2017
An injustice was done and will be corrected.
Many thanks to @edskrein for doing what is right.😈👊🙏 https://t.co/tUvP6YibgG
This is SO IMPORTANT. This is exactly how to make representation equal! Thank you @edskrein. 🎯 https://t.co/jTz1t4oHrn
— Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 29, 2017
I like this a lot.
— Scroobius Pip (@Scroobiuspipyo) August 28, 2017
Very proud of @edskrein.
Setting a new standard for this industry.
That should've already been the standard. https://t.co/e8Lwx839Go
There have been a number of noteworthy casting controversies in Hollywood recently where white actors were cast as characters who were Asian in the source material, including Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange and Matt Damon in The Great Wall.
Skrein's exit from the Hellboy reboot marks the first time an actor has left a high-profile project in response to public criticism.
