A few days ago saw Ed Skrein step down from his role in the Hellboy reboot due to unknowingly being cast as a character that is of Asian decent in the comics.
Ed Skrein took to social media to offer his reasoning for leaving Hellboy:
Last week it was announced that I would be playing Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming HELLBOY reboot. I accepted the role unaware 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 voices in the Arts. I feel it is important to honor 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. I am sad to leave Hellboy but if this decision bring sus closer to that day, it is work it. I hope it makes a difference.
Now Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD actress Chloe Bennet weighs in as she blasts Hollywood for being racist and thanks Ed Skrein for his decision to leave Hellboy. Chloe Bennet, who is of mixed Chinese descent, actually changed her name from Chloe Wang to Chloe Bennet in order to get a job in Hollywood.
Chloe Bennet took to Instagram and told a fan Hollywood is racist: “Changing my last name doesn’t change the fact that my BLOOD is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese. It means I had to pay my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn’t cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable. I’m doing everything I can, with the platform I have, to make sure no one has to change their name again, just so they can get work.”
Chloe Bennet actually told the Daily Beast last year: “Oh, the first audition I went on after I changed my name, I got booked,. So that’s a pretty clear little snippet of how Hollywood works.”
Regarding Ed Skrein departing Hellboy, Chloe Bennet also posted on Instagram supporting the actor with: “DAMN, that’s a man. Thank you @edskrein for standing up against hollywoods continuous insensitivity and flippant behavior towards the Asian American community. There is no way this decision came lightly on your part, so thank you for your bravery and genuinely impactful step forward. I hope this inspires other actors/film makers to do the same–Also, dayum cute af AND a pioneer for social injustice?! Fellas, take note. That’s how it’s done.”
Chloe Bennet just doesn’t talk the talk, but she also walks the walk, as Chloe Bennet created a group to support Asian American Pacific Islanders with RUN (Represent. Us. Now.).
