How 'Hellboy' whitewashing controversy led to unexpected friendship

Kevin Polowy

Whitewashing controversies have plagued a number of major studio releases in recent years — Ghost in the Shell, The Great Wall, and Aloha were all targeted by critics for hiring white actors to play ethnic roles — but Ed Skrein was having none of that when he discovered he was cast in Hellboy as a character who was originally Asian in the film’s comic-book roots.

So the 36-year-old Londoner released a powerful statement in which he which he announced he was stepping down from the role of Major Ben Daimio. A month later he was replaced by Lost and Hawaii-Five-0 alum Daniel Dae Kim.

The actors’ connection, however, didn’t end there.

“I’d heard about the controversy on social media before I had ever been contacted to be part of the film,” Kim, 50, told Yahoo Entertainment at Hellboy’s Los Angeles press day (watch above). “So I knew what was going on. Whitewashing has been a problem in our industry for decades.

“So when he made the statement that he did, I was so moved by it that I thought, ‘I want to say “thank you” in person.’ I heard he was in London and that’s where I was shooting. And so I asked for his information and we got together for lunch. And I wanted just to say ‘thanks’ to him. And I also wanted to find out what his feelings were on the subject, and whether he was genuine about it all. And I was so happy to find out that he couldn’t have been more genuine. He really spoke from his heart, and he wrote every word of that statement. And I was so impressed.”

As Skrein told us recently while promoting his latest film, Alita: Battle Angel: “I had the situation there, made the right decision, felt good about that decision and moved on. I’m of the idea of leading by example rather than shouting from the rooftops. I live by my word every day, even when people can’t see it, even when I’m not tweeting out statements.”

Kim and Skrein have remained in touch ever since.

“We’ve seen each other a few times since [that lunch], and we’re friends now,” Kim said.

Hellboy opens Friday. Watch David Harbour talk about his character’s sexuality:

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