When actor Ed Skrein was announced to play Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming Hellboy reboot, there was a wave of criticism in whitewashing the character, who is depicted in comic books as Japanese American.
Today, Skrein issued a statement saying that he will be stepping down from the role in order to make room for an Asian actor for the role.
After Skrein’s statement, Hellboy producers Lloyd Levin and Larry Gordon made a joint statement with Lionsgate and Millennium, stating that they are committed the casting of Daimio right.
“Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this,” the statement to Deadline reads “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.”
What do you think about the producers’ response to Skrein stepping down from the role of Ben Daimio? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Comicbook.com