Daniel Dae Kim applauds Ed Skrein for quitting 'whitewashed' Hellboy role

Actor Daniel Dae Kim has thanked Ed Skrein for “championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors” by dropping out of a role in the new Hellboy film.

Skrein quit the reboot of the comic-book adaptation earlier this month after his casting as Major Ben Daimio, a character who was drawn as Japanese American in the original comics, prompted accusations of whitewashing. In a statement the actor said he was stepping aside “so the role can be cast appropriately”.

It has since been announced that Korean American actor Kim, best known for his appearances in Lost and Hawaii Five-0, will replace Skrein in the role. In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor confirmed that he would be playing Daimio and praised Skrein for handling his departure so “elegantly”.

“I’m excited to confirm that I’ve officially joined the cast of Hellboy. Thank you for all the supportive tweets and comments, especially in light of the recent events surrounding its original casting,” he said. “I applaud the producers and, in particular, Ed Skrein for championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors. He could not have addressed the issue more elegantly and I remain indebted to him for his strength of character.”

Skrein has received widespread praise for his original statement, in which the actor said that it was important to “honour and respect” ethnic minority voices. “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,” he wrote. “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.”

Skrein’s departure from Hellboy comes at a time when the issue of whitewashing in Hollywood is in the spotlight, following a number of controversial casting decisions, such as the casting of Scarlett Johansson in the US remake of Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell, and Tilda Swinton’s appearance as Tibetan character The Ancient One in Marvel superhero movie Doctor Strange.

Stranger Things actor David Harbour will star in the forthcoming Hellboy reboot, which will be directed by The Descent film-maker Neil Marshall. The film marks the third appearance of the demonic superhero on the big screen, following a pair of Guillermo del Toro-directed films that starred actor Ron Perlman.