Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Chin Ho Kelly in TV series "Hawaii Five-0," recently issued a statement regarding the news of his exit from the long-running show. Kim confirmed that he will not be returning to the show, and shared that while it's sad to say goodbye, gratitude is what he feels the most.
"As sad as it feels to say goodbye, what I feel most is gratitude," the Korean American said in a 500-word Facebook post. He said he is deeply grateful to the crew, the writers and everyone associated with the show, especially the cast.
Kim also thanked showrunners Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, TV network CBS, for allowing him to portray his on-screen character. He said, "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."
Meanwhile, executive producer Lenkov told Variety, "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."
Kim cited the inability to reach a contract agreement with CBS as reason for his departure. He and fellow cast member Grace Park had been seeking pay parity with other members of the original cast, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. However, they were not able to reach an agreement. Park, who plays Kono Kalkaua in the series, will not be returning for the next season as well.
Kim encouraged everyone to look beyond the present disappointment and see the bigger picture. "The path to equality is rarely easy," he said, adding, "But I hope you can be excited for the future."
As one of the original cast members, Kim and Park were part of the series for seven seasons. The show will be looking to get an additional casting underway for a new series regular following the departure of its two main actors.
Kim is an executive producer of new TV show "The Good Doctor," which he co-developed with "House's" David Shore from a South Korean series of the same name.
