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What is 'whitewashing'?
02:03 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

Chloe Bennet knows how hard it can be as an Asian-American actor in Hollywood.

The “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” star clapped back on social media this week when she was questioned about changing her last 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 wrote. “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.”

Related: Beyond ‘nerds’ and ‘ninjas,’ slow progress for Asian actors in Hollywood

The comment came after Bennet, who started out in the business as “Chloe Wang,” posted a statement from actor Ed Skrein in which he announced he stepped down from a role in the upcoming “Hellboy” because he felt he would be “whitewashing” a character of Asian descent.

Related: Ed Skrein exits ‘Hellboy’ reboot after learning character was whitewashed

Bennet thanked Skrein in her caption.

“There is no way this decision came lightly on your part, so thank you for your bravery and genuinely impactful step forward.” she wrote. “I hope this inspires other actors/film makers to do the same.”

This is not the first time the actress has spoken out about changing her name.

“Oh, the first audition I went on after I changed my name, I got booked,” Bennet told The Daily Beast last year. “So that’s a pretty clear little snippet of how Hollywood works.”