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29 Aug 2017

Ed Skrein refuses Hellboy role for cultural accuracy

Foreign Affairs Correspondent

The actor Ed Skrein has stepped down from a role in the latest remake of the Hellboy cult comic series after he found out the character was originally of mixed Asian heritage.

Skrein said neglecting to cast the role in a culturally accurate way would “continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the arts”. The producers welcomed what they called his unselfish decision, but why is the film industry embroiled in yet another outcry about Hollywood whitewashing?