By Olivia Wolf
AsAmNews Intern
As we previously reported on our Facebook page, Two Korean American actors, Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim, left the CBS crime series Hawaii Five-O after being denied pay equal to White co-stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.
The final amount offered to Park and Kim was still 10-15% less than what their White counterparts are paid, reports Variety. It is not clear how large their salary differences were before. O’Loughlin and Caan also receive a percentage of the show’s profits.
While some have argued that Park and Kim have smaller roles in the series, it is also important to question why Asian actors are constantly pigeonholed into stereotyped and supporting roles.
Only 5% of speaking or named characters in top grossing films are Asian, according to Forbes. It is difficult to become a big name actor if there are no roles being offered to you.
The limited jobs and lower wages offered to Asian actors mirrors the challenges faced by females in the industry. The antiquated fear is that movies made with female leads don’t sell. However, recent reports estimate that top-grossing movies with female leads make $45.5 million more than those with male leads, according to Time.
And yet, those female actors are still paid less than the males. The wage gap is even worse when looking at women of color.
With Ang Lee as an Oscar-winning director and the recent Wonder Woman as the highest-grossing DC Extended Universe movie, there should be no question that both Asians and women can create universally popular and financially successful movies.
CBS, it’s time to start paying your Asian actors fair wages.
Park and Kim played cousins Officer Kono Kalakaua and Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five-O. They have been with the series for seven seasons since it was rebooted in 2010. Their absence will be explained in the upcoming season premiere, and their presence will be greatly missed.
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RE: What the Departure of Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park from Hawaii Five-O Really Means: AAPIs needs their own stations.