Entertainment, laughter, and knowledge- a few of the many things that the film industry has undoubtedly brought to viewers of all ages. However, it has also been proven problematic numerous times, specifically with whitewashing.

You might've heard the term being thrown around recently, especially in association with the film industry. Whitewashing, where white actors are cast for the role of a non-white persona, has become more prominently known in recent years but has been present for ages.

We’ve seen it in countless film adaptations, theatrical performances, and shows- the never-ending replacement of people of color with white actors. Successfully asserting power in all aspects of living, white dominance has always been and continues to be present in the world today.

In the most recent incident of whitewashing controversy, Ed Skrein, a 34-year-old actor, was offered the role of Hellboy’s Major Ben Daimio, a character originally written in the Hellboy comic as a Japanese individual. Hollywood found him, a white man from London, to perfectly suit the role instead of an actual Japanese actor.

Despite another tedious mistake in casting a white man for a distinct ethnic role by Hollywood, here’s what was done right this time.

After taking on the realization that the role Ed Skrein had managed to audition and secure was meant to represent another culture, he offered to step down, stating:

"Representation of ethnic diversity is important, especially to me as I have a mixed heritage family. 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." -The Hollywood Reporter

Becoming aware of his partaking in the whitewashing allowed him to properly respond to the never-ending lack of appropriate representation in the film industry. His awareness emerged due to the outraged voices on social media.

Hellboy is far from the only film to make this mistake, however. Running through a brief list of diverse culture-thieving films, these popular films are often overlooked for their choices in casting:

Cleopatra 1963: Elizabeth Taylor, a famous white actress, played Cleopatra in this classic film. Cleopatra is historically known to be of Egyptian descent as well as darker-skinned.

Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961: Mr. Yunioshi’s offensive Asian character enforcing Asian stereotypes was played by the white actor Mickey Rooney.

Prince of Persia 2010: Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton play the main characters in this film set in Persia. Although the story is set in Persia, a Middle Eastern country, these two white actors took on the Persian roles.

Ghost in the Shell 2017: Originally written and released as a Japanese anime film in 1995, Scarlett Johansson was given the role of this movie adaptation that failed to deliver Japanese culture.

Not to say that many of these films aren’t classic or noteworthy films; they simply could be better if they had culturally expanded their view. Had outcries been made before these films began filming instead of after, many roles could have been filled with the intended cultures the films were meant to represent.

The effect of whitewashing may seem short-term when thinking about the casting of one film, but its effect has become a long-term problem for the representation of minorities in the media. Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and many other ethnicities have been deprived of an equal opportunity to spread their culture in America.

The anger that people are sending through social media is good- it’s showing that we are starting to realize the lack of diversity in film and want a change. This is why the works of writers, directors, and actors Riz Ahmed, Ava Duvernay, Aziz Ansari, Issa Rae, Kelvin Yu, Donald Glover, and more are so important towards shaping Hollywood to become more diverse and equal. These modern-day role models use their success and social media as a platform to continue pushing for change.

Whitewashing isn’t gone yet, but with the desire for change by celebrities who are aware and the voices of the audience of future cinema, we’re taking a step closer towards a better cinematic world.