★★★★★ 0/5

CBS: We tried hard to keep Hawaii Five-0 cast

US studio responds amid suggestions Asian-American actors leaving Hawaii Five-0 over pay parity.

10
Leave a comment

Hollywood headlines this week have been dominated by the news that Asian-American actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park were exiting Hawaii Five-0, unable to achieve pay parity with the series’ lead actors, Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.

Daniel Dae Kim wrote on Facebook: that the “path to equality was rarely easy.”

“Daniel and Grace have been important and valued members of Hawaii Five-0 for seven seasons,” CBS said in a statement. “We did not want to lose them and tried very hard to keep them with offers for large and significant salary increases. While we could not reach an agreement, we part ways with tremendous respect for their talents on screen, as well as their roles as ambassadors for the show off screen, and with hopes to work with them again in the near future.”

Earlier Daniel Dae Kim wrote: “By now many of you have heard the news, and I’m sad to say it is true. I will not be returning to Hawaii Five-0 when production starts next week.

“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.

“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. I will miss him sincerely,” he wrote. “What made him even more special is that he was a representative of a place my family and I so dearly love. It has been nothing short of an honor to be able to showcase the beauty and people of Hawaii every week, and I couldn’t be prouder to call these islands home. To my local community, mahalo nui loa.”

According to Variety, industry sources said O’Loughlin and Caan are making about $US200,000 per episode apiece for the upcoming eighth season. A source close to the situation said CBS’ last per-episode salary offer to Kim was about $US5,000 apart from the two lead actors, and CBS offered to set a new overall deal with Kim’s 3AD production banner. However, sources close to Kim said the differential was more significant.

Park, meanwhile, was said to have sought a deal for less than half of a full season’s worth of episodes, which would have been a financially challenging prospect for the network at the salary that she sought. Hawaii Five-0 delivered some 25 episodes in its most recent season.

Sources close to the situation noted that Kim and Park did not negotiate as a unit in their discussions with CBS. The final offer for Park was lower than that for Kim, according to a source.

Source: Deadline

10 Responses

  1. They are great actors but don’t see why they should get pay parity with the two lead actors. O’Loughlin and Caan are in more scenes so should get more. I don’t think and hope its not a race thing.

  2. Saddened to learn the news that these two excellent actors have been discriminated against because of their ethnicity. This is outrageous, and they should be earning much higher fees than they are – much closer to the two leads. They are part of a team that make the series work, and to lose them can only diminish the show.

    1. Where did you learn that they were discriminated against because of their ethnicity? Looks to be more a case that they earn a lower rate commensurate with their shorter screen time (ie do less work, get less money).

      Pack up that faux outrage for something worth getting angry about.

      1. Most of the stories have been suggesting it was ethnicity based, particularly due to Daniel Dae Kim’s Facebook response. As with Big Bang not every cast member has precisely equal screen time but they still view themselves as an ensemble.

        1. It’s certainly an easy hook upon which to hang a story.

          Kim and Park have both been members of truly ensemble casts in Lost and BSG, respectively. I don’t see the H5O cast as being like either of those.

Leave a Reply