Asian stars of 'Hawaii Five-0' quit

[HAB911]

the show after CBS refused to pay them as much as their white costars

(Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park.Frazer Harrison/Getty)
"Hawaii Five-0" stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park have left the CBS show after the network refused to pay them as much as their white costars, Variety reports.

Sources told the outlet that Kim and Park were seeking salaries equal to those of stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, but they were unable to reach a deal with the show's producer, CBS Television Studios.

CBS's final offer to the two actors was reportedly "10-15% lower" than the salaries of their two white costars.

A representative for the network told Variety in a statement: "We are so appreciative of Daniel and Grace's enormous talents, professional excellence, and the aloha spirit they brought to each and every one of our 168 episodes. They've helped us build an exciting new Hawaii Five-0, and we wish them all the best and much success in their next chapters. Mahalo and a hui hou."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/asian-stars-hawaii-five-0-144142868.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

[CentralMass]

1. For what it is worth, i think that Daniel Dae Kim is tbe best actor on the show

[HAB911]

2. Grace Park

I remember from Battlestar Galactica

[Samantha]

3. This is really going to hurt the show's ratings

Those two actors were exceptionally important.

Sam

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Good for them!

[Deuce]

5. Now, I might have to stop watching the show.

[stopbush]

6. Of course, though the characters these actors portray are supposedly native Hawaiian,

Last edited Mon Jul 3, 2017, 06:06 PM - Edit history (1)

neither actor is a native Hawaiian. One is Korean, the other, American mainland.

I remember some grumbling when the series launched about not casting those roles with native Hawaiians, but so many Hawaiian residents are Asian that it's sort of a nonissue.

I have more problems with the not-believable story lines.

[athena]

7. "Hawaiian" and "Hawaii resident" are two very different things.

Hawaiians are not Asian. Many Hawaii residents (kama'aina) are Asian, but that is not the same thing. To be called "Hawaiian", you have to have actual Hawaiian blood. Having been born in Hawaii is not enough.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kama%27aina

[stopbush]

9. Exactly. The series has made clear that the McGarrett character was born and raised

in Hawaii but is not considered a native.

On the other hand, the Kim and Park characters supposedly have Hawaiian blood (ie: part Hawaiian), so the characters are considered to be native Hawaiian, even though the actors portraying them are not Hawaiian in any sense of the word.

[athena]

13. I was referring to the word "Hawaiian".

The sentence "many Hawaiians are Asian" is a contradiction, since Hawaiians are Polynesian, not Asian. Also, we call those who have Hawaiian blood "Hawaiian"; we don't call them "natives", which sounds a bit disrespectful. We call the residents "kama'aina" or just "local".

I used to live in Hawaii, and I can't watch that show. There is nothing remotely local about it. The actors don't have the local accent, and they don't dress like locals. Watching the original Hawaii Five-O on Netflix would bring back memories (even though the actors didn't dress like locals in that either), but the new Hawaii Five-O doesn't feel like Hawaii at all.

[stopbush]

15. I've never lived in Hawaii, but our family vacations there.

I agree that there's nothing Haeaiian about the show, and I say that having spent not that much time there.

[Blue_Adept]

8. A common occurence during later seasons

When you get past the traditional seven season run, the studio and not the broadcaster pays more of the cost of the production and the actors. So you tend to see strange deals made at that time or some of the supporting/main cast depart. No doubt there are bigger issues here in the two of them being of Asian background getting paid less, especially as I read that Caan doesn't even like being in Hawaii and isn't in as many episodes, but this is also the kind of wonkiness that comes after the end of the standard seven year run for a successful show.

What SHOULD have happened is that both white male leads would have stepped up to either take a cut to compensate or refuse to go forward without the other two getting what they should for it. We saw that happen with Big Bang Theory where the prime trio took cuts for the supporting cast to get a bump up in order to keep everything working right.

We saw it in the movies as well as Robert Downey Jr. showed the other "Avengers" actors how to secure better deals as their tenure went on.

Racism is most definitely involved, structural/institutionalized to be sure, but it's not JUST that.

[stopbush]

10. Scott Caan is, IMO, the most-disposable of the actors/characters in the series.

He seems to be walking through his role, picking up a paycheck. I realize that said attitude is part of his character, but still...

[Blue_Adept]

11. I've heard that crop up a lot in the last couple of days

Wouldn't surprise me either; it invariably happens to at least one actor at this stage of it though I suspect his started earlier. I only watched half of the first season before I checked out. I fell in love with Grace Park in Battlestar Galactica so wanted to see more of her but this wasn't going to be a strong series for her.

[cornball 24]

28. AGREE!!

[oasis]

18. When the "Jake and the Fatman" series relocated to Hawaii, actor

Joe Penny, the star of the show, resisted any adjustment the Hawaiin culture and environment. The local production crew couldn't stand him and blamed him for the show's demise.

[madaboutharry]

12. I see Alex O'Loughlin making more than all of them.

He is the star. But Scott Canaan isn't in every episode since he refused to move to Hawaii. I don't know why he made more than Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park.

[Lisa0825]

14. Maybe just due to his family name - Caan?

He's son of James Caan. Not that this warrants higher pay, but he may have had some pull due to it, or bigger connections.

[AgadorSparticus]

16. Good for them for leaving. I don't blame them. And as big a role as they both had

The show will never recoup. Most shows don't after a tectonic shift like this.

[CherokeeDem]

17. I despise that show....

the acting and the scripts are horrendous. The only bright thing was Daniel Dae Kim.

[Cha]

23. I don't like it either.. and I live on Kauai.

I was really excited about it at first.. it started before I moved back here.. but the writing is so boring and predictable.. and the acting doesn't help it.

I stopped watching a long time ago. And, this.. not paying the Asian stars as much just pisses me off.

[CherokeeDem]

27. I agree.....

I am a writer and I am appalled at the horrible scripts, no attention to detail. The bromance angle always annoys me... just horrid TV.

I having watched since partway through the first season.

Ah.. Kauai.... so beautiful!

[Cha]

30. It's a shame.. all that money and exotic scenery involved

and they don't have enough to get talented writers. And, they're scrimping on the Asian stars.

Yes, it's a beautiful place to live but we have our challenges just like any place else.

CherokeeDem

[dawg]

19. Grace Park is the only one of those people I have ever heard of.

I never watched Hawaii Five-0, but I guess I always assumed she was the star.

[Aristus]

20. Maybe now the show will die it's long-deferred but much-deserved death.

The cast was wonderful, but couldn't overcome the awful writing and derivative plots.

There was one episode set in North Korea, but so obviously filmed in Hawaii that suspension of disbelief became several magnitudes of impossible. The plot was a blatant 'Apocalypse Now' rip-off, and even included the sinister CIA agent at the beginning.

Eventually, even the stunning Grace Park couldn't induce me to watch.

[Cha]

24. I know what you mean, Aristus.. I stopped

watching a long time ago. It takes a lot to make a show in Hawaii boring.. but the writers did it.

[Hawaii Hiker]

21. I never liked the reboot of H5O

The one that aired from 1968-1980 starring Jack Lord was the only Hawaii Five O.....

[Aristus]

25. I agree.

That's the only Hawaii Five-O for me.

It had fewer gorgeous women in it than the re-boot. And the gorgeous women appeared for only fractions of a second in the opening credits. But it was still superior to the re-boot.

[NurseJackie]

22. We enjoy the show. I'm sorry to see them depart. It'll probably go for another 2 seasons.

I doubt they'll go all Henry Blake on them and kill them off... but they can be easily written out of the series (if not already) other characters OR replacement actors can be added to the cast.

[rzemanfl]

26. Never watch the show, but if the others are smart they will do a "Big Bang Theory" for parity. n/t

[catbyte]

29. I don't have much respect for Alex O'Loughlin or Scott Caan now. Way to show solidarity for your

co-stars.

[doc03]

32. Was excited to have Hawaii 50 return but never liked Caan from the

beginning. I doubt I watched 5 episodes in all these years.

[mainer]

35. Ditto. Way to go, guys. White privilege always outs itself.

And for those who say "but they're the STARS so of course they get paid more," I ask: WHY are they the stars? Why is it that just because they're white guys, they get more lines and more screen time than their Asian colleagues?

[QED]

31. On Star Trek TOS, Leonard Nimoy once fought to get Nichelle Nichols pay equity

That is class.

http://trekmovie.com/2014/07/31/koenig-leonard-nimoy-fought-to-get-nichelle-nichols-pay-equity-for-star-trek-nimoy-confirms/

[mainer]

33. I lived in HI for over a decade. I can't remember ever seeing a white cop.

Funny how in Hollywoodland, EVERY cop is white, with a token Black thrown in. Why do they bother to call it HAWAII Five-0?

Without these two actors, it's just like every buddy-cop series on TV. They might as well transplant it to Vermont.

[Thrill]

34. Their white co stars didn't stick up for them?