Asian American actors exit 'Hawaii Five-0' over pay equality

CBS refused to pay Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park as much as their white co-stars.



Aloha. Hawaii Five-0 stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park are leaving the CBS series over a salary dispute, because the network reportedly refused to pay them as much as their white co-stars.

Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park Exit ‘Hawaii Five-0’

After seven seasons as series regulars, Kim and Park have departed from the popular cop action drama because they were unable to negotiate the same salaries as their co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. The studio apparently didn't think the two Asian leads were quite as worthwhile as the two white dudes.

About ten to fifteen percent less worthwhile, if sources are correct.

According to Variety, Kim and Park were seeking equal pay, but couldn't reach a deal with CBS Television Studios, whose final offer to the two actors was reportedly "10-15% lower" than the salaries of O'Loughlin and Caan. What kind of bullshit is that? It was enough for Kim and Park to walk.

So say goodbye to Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua, who will not appear in the show's upcoming eighth season. The characters' absence will be referenced in the season premiere. And with that, Hawaii Five-0 has unceremoniously lost all of its main Asian American characters.

Award-winning actor and filmmaker Keo Woolford dies at 49

Honolulu native wrote, directed and produced the 2013 indie film 'The Haumana.'


Photo Credit: Olivier Koning
Actor Keo Woolford, who wrote, directed and produced the award-winning 2013 independent film The Haumana, died Monday afternoon in Hawaii after suffering a severe stroke last week. He was 49.

Keo Woolford, Actor on 'Hawaii Five-0,' Dies at 49

A native of Honolulu, Woolford had a recurring role as Detective James Chang on CBS' Hawaii Five-0, as well as small roles in films like Happy Texas (1999), Act of Valor (2012) and Godzilla (2014). He also starred in more than 300 performances as the King of Siam in The King & I at the London Palladium.

Hawaii Five-0 star Daniel Dae Kim shared his remembrance of Woolford on Twitter:

A Very Special Episode of Hawaii Five-0

Pearl Harbor-themed episode involves flashback plot set in Hawaii's internment camps



I watch a lot of television. Hawaii Five-0 is easily one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It's ridiculous on so many levels, but hey, it's an action/cop procedural that delivers a satisfying amount of shootouts, car chases and criminal plots. It also regularly employs an awesome number of APA talent both in front and behind the camera, and goes to great lengths to reflect the diversity of the Aloha State. That's a show I can get behind.

So this week's episode is particularly interesting. The Pearl Harbor-themed episode, "Ho'onani Makuakane (Honor Thy Father)," has a flashback plot set in Hawaii's Japanese internment camps. The Five-0 team winds up investigating a cold case involving an elderly man seeking revenge for a murder he witnessed while incarcerated at the Honouliuli internment camp in 1943. The show actually re-created the camp for the episode.

'Five-0' recreates internment camp

Here's a video with star Daniel Dae Kim and some great behind-the-scenes footage:

Chin Ho is not happy.

The Camaro is on fire.



This is for all my fellow Hawaii Five-0 fans. In honor of tonight's premiere of season four (now on Friday nights on CBS), here is a badass photo of Daniel Dae Kim and a burning car. That is all.

A Message to the Producers of Hawaii Five-0

If you've seen the CBS cop drama Hawaii Five-0, you know that its island setting makes it a easy fit for Asian American actors to regularly get a guest spot -- good guys, bad guys, bit parts, walk-ons, whatever. No one is more aware of this than actors Eugene Cordero and Kulap Vilaysack, who made a video to show off just how naturally suited they are to appear on the show: Hire Eugene & Kulap For Hawaii Five-O!.