And after a mounting outcry, Skrein has decided to leave the project, sharing the news Monday on Twitter. Ed Skrein, who played Ajax in Deadpool and starred in The Transporter Refueled, joined the Hellboy cast as Major Ben Daimio last week — a casting decision that many criticized as the latest example of Hollywood whitewashing movie characters. “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 honour and respect that. Therefore, I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.” 
 
 Skrein’s decision was praised by the creator of the Hellboy comics and the actor who has signed on to play the title character.  "Representation of ethnic diversity is important, especially to me as I have a mixed heritage family," the actor wrote in a statement one week after he joined the film. 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 casting follows similar recent controversies in which white actors have been set for roles originally portrayed by people of Asian descent. Conversations about whitewashing have come to the fore over the past year after projects including Ghost in the Shell and Doctor Strange cast white actors as characters who were Asian in the source material, but this is the first time an actor has exited such a high-profile project in response to public criticism. Producers Larry Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Millennium and Lionsgate also released a statement Monday in support of Skrein's decision: "Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision,” Lionsgate, the studio behind the reboot, said in a statement. “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 creator of the “Hellboy” comic book, Mike Mignola, thanked Skrein on Twitter. David Harbour is playing the titular character in “Hellboy.” Neil Marshall is directing the movie, which also stars Ian McShane and Milla Jovovich.
– Actor Ed Skrein has left the upcoming Hellboy movie after news of his casting led to accusations of Hollywood whitewashing, Time reports. Skrein was hired to play the role of Major Ben Daimio, who is of Asian descent in the Hellboy comic books. News that Skrein had gotten the part caused an uproar on social media—yet another example, in many people's eyes, of Hollywood casting white actors to play non-white roles. Earlier this year, critics attacked the producers of Ghost in the Shell for casting Scarlett Johansson as a Japanese character, and last year's Doctor Strange sparked controversy when Tilda Swinton took a role depicted by an Asian male in the comic book of the same name, Variety reports. In a statement released Monday, Skrein, an English actor who has appeared in Deadpool and The Transporter Refueled, wrote that he was previously unaware the character was of Asian descent, and that "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." Later that day, the film's producers released a statement supporting Skrein's "unselfish decision" and defending their own. "It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity," the statement read, per the Hollywood Reporter, "and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material."