Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, stars of CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 have decided to leave the show before its official eighth season return.
The two left the series–which they were a part of since its 2010 premiere–after receiving a final contract offer that was reportedly 10 to 15 percent lower than white co-stars Scott Caan and Alex O’Loughlin. O’Loughlin and Caan also have deals that allow them to make more money–their back-end deals allow them to earn a portion of the show’s profits. It’s currently unclear as to whether Kim and Park had similar deals as well.
Hawaii Five-0 executive producer Peter Lenkov released a statement on Kim and Park’s departure:
“I will never forget meeting Daniel while still writing the pilot and being certain there was no other actor who I’d want to play Chin Ho Kelly. Needless to say, Daniel has been an instrumental part of the success of Hawaii Five-0 over the past seven seaons and it has personlly been a privilege to know him. Grace’s presence gave Hawaii Five-0 a beauty and serenity to each episode. She was the consummate collaborator, helping build her character from day one. They will always be ohana to us, we will miss them and we wish them both all the best.”
Kim has issued a statement on his Facebook page:
CBS has since fired back at the accusations of stiffing Park and Kim in a statement saying that the actors were given large pay increases:
“Daniel and Grace have been important and valued members of Hawaii Five-0 for seven seasons. We did not want to lose them and tried very hard to keep tthem 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.”
Read more at The Hollywood Reporter and Vox.