‘Lost’ Star Daniel Dae Kim Wins ‘Hellboy’ Role After Whitewashing Controversy

No one figured that, when it was announced that the “Hellboy” franchise was being rebooted, that it might turn into a key moment in the history of Hollywood, race and casting. Most people were just initially annoyed that Guillermo Del Toro wasn’t going to get to close his trilogy up. But then “Game Of Thrones” and “Deadpool” actor Ed Skrein was announced as playing a character called Major Ben Daimio, a Marine who can turn into a jaguar, and things went briefly ballistic.

You see, the character is Japanese-American in Mike Mignola’s comics, and an immediate backlash formed as the latest example of the whitewashing of Asian roles in major movies, which of late has been criticized in films as diverse (from each other, not in the racial make-up of the casting obviously) as “The Martian,” “Aloha” and “Ghost In The Shell.” But then, to his credit, Skrein, who claims not to have been aware that the character was originally Asian when he signed on, announced he was stepping down so the role could be played by an actor of the right ethnicity.

READ MORE: The 20 Worst Examples Of Hollywood Whitewashing

It was an unusual move, and one that hopefully proves something of a watershed moving forward, given the proven value of diversity in films like the “Fast & Furious” franchise. Anyway, the beneficiary of this, per The Hollywood Reporter, is “Lost” actor Daniel Dae Kim, who’s landed the role in Skrein’s place.

Kim’s most noted for playing Jin-Soo Kwon in “Lost,” but he’s also cropped up in films including “Spider-Man 2” and, most recently, the “Divergent” series. This is also particularly satisfying, narrative-wise, because Kim recently left CBS’ “Hawaii Five-O,” alongside co-star Grace Park, because of the network’s refusal to grant them pay parity with their caucasian co-stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.

So hooray for small victories, even if it would have been nice if the producers had done the right thing in the first place (and even if we’ve ended up with a Korean actor playing a Japanese role). Neil Marshall will be directing the new “Hellboy” movie, with David Harbour as the big red hero, and Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Milla Jovovich and Penelope Mitchell joining Kim in the supporting cast. Shooting begins soon.