Chloe Bennet blames name change on 'racist Hollywood'

Chloe Bennet changed her Chinese surname because it made casting directors "uncomfortable".

The Chinese-American actress was born Chloe Wang, and lived with her father's family in Shanghai for a stint during her teenage years before pursuing a Hollywood career.

Chloe took to Instagram on Tuesday (29Aug17) to praise British actor Ed Skrein for pulling out of a role in the Hellboy reboot after a backlash because he was cast as a character of Asian heritage, and also took the opportunity to shut down a critic who called her a "hypocrite" for adopting a new name.

"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," she said in the post. "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. 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. So kindly love, f**k off."

Chloe, who is perhaps best known for her role on ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., previously explained that she chose to go by the moniker of Chloe Bennet because it remained respectful of her father, Bennet Wang.

And the 25-year-old also clarified why she respected Skrein for dropping out of the Hellboy movie on Monday, after fans accused producers of whitewashing because the character of Major Ben Daimio is Japanese-American in the original comic books.

"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," she stated.