“The Path To Equality Is Rarely Easy”: Daniel Dae Kim On His Decision To Quit ‘Hawaii Five-0’
The network reportedly wanted to pay Kim and Grace Park 10-15% less than their white co-stars.
Actor Daniel Dae Kim has addressed his decision to leave Hawaii Five-0, following reports that he and co-star Grace Park were offered less money than their white co-stars.
Neither Kim nor Park will return for the show’s eighth season, with Variety reporting that their exit was sparked by a salary dispute with CBS Television. According to the trade paper, the two actors, who are both of Korean descent, were offered 10-15 percent less than their fellow leads Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.
Kim alluded to the pay battle in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “Though I made myself available to come back, CBS and I weren’t able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue,” he wrote.
“The path to equality is rarely easy,” he added. “But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am.”
The actor also thanked the network, as well the show’s producers, for letting him bring Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly to life. “As an Asian American actor, I know first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities at all, let alone play a well developed, three-dimensional character like Chin Ho,” Kim wrote. “I will miss him sincerely.”