'Agents Of Shield' Star Chloe Bennet Drags Hollywood's Racism

06/06/2018 05:59 pm EDT

Hollywood has come under fire this year for its complacent whitewashing, and one Agents of SHIELD star isn't keeping quiet about it anymore. Chloe Bennet just ripped the industry's erasure of Asian talent, and she even revealed her own ethnicity caused her to loose out on jobs.

Bennet took to Instagram this week to applaud Ed Skrein for his exit from Hellboy. The star was cast in the reboot as Major Ben Daimio, a man of mixed Asian heritage. The star left the role recently after the Internet accused the project of white-washing, and Bennet had this to say about the actor's decision:

"DAMN, that's a man. Thank you @edskrein for standing up against hollywoods(sic) continuous insensitivity and flippant behavior towards the Asian American community. There is no way this decision came lightly on your part, so thank you for your bravery and genuinely impactful step forward. I hope this inspires other actors/film makers to do the same."

However, some fans were not pleased by Bennet's comment. Several now-deleted comments questioned why Bennet should praise Skrein after she changed her own last name to one that's more Western. The actress, who is half-Chinese, clapped back with one scalding comment which dragged Hollywood's inherent racism.

"Changing my last name doesn't change the fact that my BLOOD is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese… It means I had to pay my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn't cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable," Bennet responded.

"I'm doing everything I can, with the platform I have, to make sure no one has to change their name again, just so they can get work."

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is rumored to return later this year for Season 5, after The Inhumans finishes its 8-episode arc on ABC.

In the aftermath of their journey to another planet, Director Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the rest of the team were driven more than ever to put an end to the Hydra organization. Little did they know that they were up against the deadliest threat they've ever faced – an extremely powerful Inhuman, Hive, who was transported back from Maveth in the body of their worst enemy, Grant Ward. The team was able to thwart and kill Hive and take down Hydra, but they are all still mourning the death of fellow agent and Inhuman, Lincoln Campbell.

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(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)
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