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Ed Skrein got a lot of praise for dropping out of 'Hellboy' over whitewashing.

Ed Skrein's bold decision to drop out of the 'Hellboy' reboot is being met with praise.

Ed Skrein penned a heartfelt explanation for why he ultimately decided to turn down a role in the upcoming "Hellboy" reboot, and the internet took notice.

As of Dec. 21, 2017, his announcement has been retweeted more than 46,000 times and liked by more than 158,000 people on Twitter, and his name found its way to the top of trending lists across social media.

He wrote:

"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 honor and respect that."

He added, "Representation of ethnic diversity is important, especially to me as I have a mixed heritage family."

Some big-name Hollywood talent praised Skrein's decision, including a number of actors fresh off some recent breakout roles.

While missing out on one paycheck, Skrein's decision might actually help him land other roles.

Director Ava DuVernay and writer/producer Leonard Chang both gave a bit of a nod Skrein's way for his show of goodwill.

Doing the right thing goes a long way, and it earned Skrein a ton of new fans. Many of them realize he isn't yet a big name in Hollywood and turning down a big role was a huge risk.

"Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola and actor David Harbour, slated to play the titular character, offered some major kudos Skrein's way as well.

So why is Skrein getting so much praise for a decision that should be an industry standard? Because it's not yet the standard.

White actors being cast to play Asian roles isn't a new phenomenon, but Skrein's decision proves moviegoers are taking notice. Studios are being forced to consider casting decisions from an ethical point of view, early in the production process.

To have fans and whitewashing advocates loudly and proudly reinforcing his decision and to be heard by Hollywood's studio decision-makers, is a step in the right direction.

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17 stunning photos of black Victorians show how history really looked.

When you think about America's Gilded Age, what do you imagine?

Perhaps you see images of "Little House on the Prairie"? Or photos of dapper gentlemen and women dressed in frilly lace, riding steam engine trains across the country?

Most of us equate the fashion and social norms of that time period with the latter Victorian era that occurred in the U.K. around the same time. And that's not in-accurate, per se ... except for the part where we tend to assume that everyone was white.

Yes, Jim Crow laws were in effect. But there were still plenty of black Americans rockin' those cravats and wide-brimmed hats, too. You just don't see them in most history books.

So I dug up 17 of my favorite historical photos of black people in Gilded Age fashions. Believe it or not, they were easily accessible through public archives — which means they've been there all along, waiting to show us what history really looked like.

1. Meet Corporal Isaiah Mays.

Born into slavery in Virginia, Mays enlisted in the military as a free man and received a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Wham paymaster robbery of 1889.

2. Or take a moment to admire parasol-wielding Nellie Franklin.

Not much is known about this dapper debutante other than that she was near Tallahassee, Florida, when this photo was taken between 1885 and 1910.

3. Eartha Mary Magdalene White was a humanitarian and philanthropist.

A lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Florida, White amassed her fortunes through serial entrepreneurship in real estate, laundry, dry goods, taxis, and more. Along with her adopted mother, Clara (also pictured), she provided for the hungry and homeless and also built the first public school for black students in nearby Bayard, Florida.

4. The Honorable Reverend Hiram R. Revels was the first black person to serve in the U.S. Senate.

He only served for about a year for the state of Mississippi from 1870 to 1871 before being appointed as the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University).

5. Whoever they are, this man and his son were fine examples of the fashions of the times.

Not much is known about the subjects of this photograph other than that it was taken in Connecticut at some point during the 1860s.

6. And then there's this little girl, who is clearly not pleased that her parents made her wear such period-appropriate dress.

Hey, we've all been there. This photo was taken sometime between 1890 and 1900, and was part of W.E.B. DuBois's collection, which was featured at the 1900 World Expo in Paris.

7. The Florida A&M graduating class of 1904 looks ready for their yearbook photo.

At the time, the historically black college was known as the Florida State Normal and Industrial School for Colored Students.

8. And these women were shading themselves from the hot Georgia sun while showing off their Sunday best, too.

Not much is known about the subjects here either other than that the photo was taken around 1899.

9. People didn't only dress up for special occasions, though. Here's a family lounging for a portrait on a lawn in Georgia around the turn of the century.

10. Photography was getting pretty common and accessible by the 1890s. But people still liked to look good.

11. When it comes to this woman's dress, I'm a fan.

This photo was taken in or around Tallahassee, Florida, sometime between 1885 and 1910. Note the fancy feather fan in her hand — it probably came in handy in that humid heat.

12. And look at this guy's sweet satin coat!

13. Here's a woman rockin' a velvet-print bodice.

14. Then of course there's Marie Selika Williams.

She was a star soprano singer and the first black artist to perform at the White House in 1878.

15. The Honorable Blanche Kelso Bruce of Mississippi was the first black American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate from 1875-1881.

Like Revels, he was a Republican from Mississippi. He later served as the register of the treasury under Presidents James Garfield and William McKinley.

16. And who could forget Small?

Little is known about this man beyond his name and the fact he was walking around Philadelphia at some point in the late 1850s, showing off these fine threads.

17. Last but certainly not least, let's not forget the black fashions of the Victorian era that were occurring across the pond.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta, right, was an orphaned Yoruban princess who was raised as a goddaughter to Queen Victoria. She eventually married Capt. James Pinson Labulo Davies (left), a wealthy Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and merchant marine.

As fun as it is to look back at the fashions of yesteryear, it's also a good reminder that actual history isn't as white as we make it out to be.

Cultures and skin colors have all been intermingling since at least the days of ancient Rome. That's why it's so important to point out these not-actually-fluke fashions: because race might not be "real," but racism through erasure definitely is.

All too often, the movies and media and books that retell the stories of our past err on the side of all-white casting unless it's something that's explicitly about race. And all too often, they use "historical accuracy" as an excuse for that same whitewashing — regardless of the easy-to-find evidence presented above.

They say that "history is written by the winners." But I think it might be time to set the record straight.

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This comic breaks down the problem with whitewashing race.

"Not seeing color just means defaulting to the regular standard, which is white."

Sometimes people say they're "colorblind" — that they don't see race, and race doesn't matter to them.

While this might be well-intentioned, the idea of colorblindness is problematic. It often becomes a mechanism for ignoring systemic problems with racism, rather than addressing them. And instead of eliminating racism, colorblindness can "erase" the identities of people of color and minority groups.

Kerry Washington summed it up well in a discussion on colorblind racism:

"I'm not interested in, sort of, living in a world where my race is not a part of who I am. I am interested in living in a world where our races, no matter what they are, don't define our trajectory in life."

In this comic from Empathize This, the artist describes how it feels to be a minority and to be subjected to "colorblindness," or whitewashing:


Next time you hear someone say they're colorblind, share this comic with them.

When we acknowledge the beauty of racial diversity and address the problems surrounding race in our system, we create a world that is more inclusive for all people — and that's pretty important.

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Jamie Chung heads to 'Gotham' — plus 9 more diverse casting choices worth celebrating.

The recent un-whitewashing of these Hollywood roles is adding some much-needed diversity to the screen.

Actress Jamie Chung, who you might know from "Once Upon a Time" and "The Real World: San Diego," just got cast in Fox's popular bat-TV show "Gotham" as reporter Valerie Vale.

On the surface, this might not sound particularly noteworthy — probably because most casual viewers aren't instantly familiar with the character of Valerie or her better-known niece Vicki Vale who's also a reporter (and frequent Bat-romancer).

Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Absolut Elyx.

Chung's casting is notable because we live in an age when white actors are still being cast to play characters of color, while actors of actual color can't even get award nominations for the disproportionate number of roles that are available to them.

The decision to cast Chung in a the role of Valerie Vale is a pretty big deal (and a pretty low bar), but it's even better that it happened in spite of the fact that Vale has traditionally been depicted as a white woman.

Here are a few recent examples of un-whitewashing in Hollywood that's helped to add some much-needed diversity to the screen:

1. Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, in "Fantastic 4."

When Jordan's casting was first announced, there plenty of vocal internet complainers decrying how a black actor like Michael B. Jordan could possibly play the fire-powered flying brother to Kate Mara, a white actress, who played Susan Storm.

Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images.

The in-movie answer? Adoption. Really. It was just that simple.

2. Idris Elba as Heimdall in the "Thor" movies.

Look, I understand that the descriptor "Norse" tends to invoke images of strapping white men with blond or red hair. But this is a movie series about interstellar spacegods with magical hammers who traverse the galaxy on a rainbow bridge — a bridge that Idris Elba kept a watchful eye on in his role as Heimdall.

Photo by Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images.

Did the fact that Heimdall was white in the comics prevent Elba from convincingly guarding a rainbow galaxy bridge? Of course not.

3. Chloe Bennet as Skye/Quake in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Following a brief career as a pop star, Chloe Bennet didn't find her first big acting break on the superhero TV show until she stopped using her given Chinese last name: Wang.

Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Kabam.

While that's an unfortunate testament to Hollywood's problem with race, it's still exciting that we get to see an earthquake-powered superhero, who's also Chinese-American, kickin' ass every Tuesday night.

4. Candice Patton as Iris West on "The Flash."

There's nothing about the character of a reporter who's also the love interest of the eponymous Scarlet Speedster that screams "must be played by a white actor" — or any specific race or ethnicity, for that matter.

Which is good, because Candice Patton rocks it each week as Iris West, Barry Allen's best friend and love interest.

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartMedia.

5. Lucy Liu as Joan Watson on "Elementary."

The world of Sherlock Holmes has been altered and adapted a million times over, to the point that we're all pretty familiar with at least one version of it. By casting the eccentric detective's sidekick as a woman, and an Asian woman at that, "Elementary" brought a new, robust, and utterly unique angle to a classic character that we've seen so many times before.

Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images.

And who doesn't love Lucy Liu?

6. Jason Momoa as Aquaman in "Justice League."

People tend to make fun of Aquaman for his superhuman ability to speak to fish, rather than, I dunno, the fact that he's usually portrayed as a blond-haired, blue-eyed dude from an island nation that exists beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for 2014 Sarasota Film Festival.

In this case, the decision to cast Momoa, a mixed-race actor of Hawaiian, Native American, and white backgrounds is actually more believable than, well, anything else about the character.

7. Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

Despite Emma Watson's formative portrayal of the bookish Muggle heroine in the "Harry Potter" movie series, the only explicit physical descriptors for the character in the books was that she had brown eyes and curly brown hair.

Noma Dumezweni, left. Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images.

When Noma Dumezweni was cast in the part for the highly-anticipated theatrical production, J.K. Rowling herself came to the defense of the talented black actress, saying, "Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job. … But what shocked me was the way people couldn’t visualise a non-white person as the hero of a story. It’s therefore brilliant that this has happened."

8. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in ... a lot of Marvel movies.

Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Xbox.

Admittedly, this one is a little tricky: In his first iteration, Nick Fury was a white guy, and then Marvel created another Nick Fury for their "Ultimate" alternative universe, and based him on Samuel L. Jackson's appearance.

Then they cast the actual Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury for the Marvel movie universe and replaced the white comic book Nick Fury with a new black Nick Fury, separate from the other black Nick Fury.

Follow that? No? That's OK. No one really understands it either. But the point is that there's nothing about his skin color that affects his ability to be an awesome super-spy.

9. Dean Cain as Superman in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman."

Here's a throwback for ya! Despite his "all-American appearance" (whatever that means), Cain is actually part-Japanese because one of his grandparents was Japanese.

Photo by Tom Sandler/Getty Images.

This is a particularly great example both because Superman is a literal extraterrestrial alien and thus has no need to conform to our earthly racial standards, but also because it's a good reminder that those same earthly racial standards are actually kind of arbitrary.

But the fact that we do acknowledge them is the exact same reason that casting with diversity in mind matters.

Opponents of on-screen diversity call this "reverse-racism" or "tokenism" whenever a white character gets "replaced" by someone of a different race.

But that same erasure has been happening to people of color for a long, long time.

When a white actor gets cast as a person of color, effectively "whitewashing" the character, that cycle of erasure continues and fans miss out on an opportunity to see themselves represented in the media.

If you're an Asian-American who wants to be an actor and you only see other Asian-Americans in background ninja roles or being good at math, well, that sends a message that that's all you can ever be — and could make you feel insecure if you aren't good at math or, say, a kickass ninja. And if you're a non-Asian person who only ever sees Asian characters in movies being good at math, your brain is subconsciously primed to think all Asians are good at math.

But when an actor of color gets cast in a traditionally white role? The only way it affects the story or the audience is that it makes us all more aware of how the world around us really looks. In turn, that helps break down racial stereotypes, and opens our minds to greater possibilities — like inspiring a brighter future where the full range of humanity can be seen in every role, on screen as well as off.

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