"The path to equality is rarely easy": Hawaii Five-O star Daniel Dae Kim speaks out after quitting series over pay dispute
Kim and co-star Grace Park were paid less than white actors in the hit US show
Daniel Dae Kim, star of Hawaii Five-O, has spoken out about the pay dispute that saw him leave the hit US show.
In a post on his Facebook page, the actor claimed that although he wanted to return, himself and co-star Grace Park, who are both Asian, quit the drama after it transpired the two were earning less than their white co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan.
"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," Kim wrote.
"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.
“[T]hough transitions can be difficult, I encourage us all to look beyond the disappointment of this moment to the bigger picture. The path to equality is rarely easy."
