Actress Chloe Bennet has said she changed her surname from Wang because "Hollywood is racist" and "wouldn't cast me with a last name that made them feel uncomfortable".

The 25-year-old was responding to a comment on one of her Instagram posts in which she had praised British actor Ed Skrein for quitting the upcoming reboot of Hellboy following accusations casting was whitewashed.

The 34-year-old Game of Thrones star was set to play comic character Major Ben Daimio, who is of Asian descent.

However, Skrein's casting was met with derision from critics, who accused Hollywood of whitewashing.

On her Instagram account, Bennet had posted a letter written by Skrein on his own account in which he laid out his decisions for stepping down from the role, praising him "for standing up against Hollywood's 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."

In comments on her post, Bennet replied to a comment from another user, which appears to have been deleted, writing: "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.

"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*** off."

Bennet is best known for playing Daisy Johnson in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In her Instagram bio she describes herself as "mostly Asian, always hungry. Also, I play Daisy Johnson on Agents of Shield."