Daniel Dae Kim announced that he was leaving "Hawaii Five-0" in July. Now, the 49-year-old Korean-American actor is breaking his silence about his departure from the hit CBS series.
At the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Sunday, Aug. 6, Kim called "Hawaii Five-0" one of the most important shows of his life. He then expressed his gratitude to the staff members and CBS for all the opportunities it has given him but maintained that his sudden departure was about maintaining his self-worth.
"I've known [CBS Entertainment president] Kelly [Kahl] and [CBS senior executive vice president of programming] Thom Sherman for a while, I met Thom all the way back from the days on 'Lost,'" Kim said, as cited by The Hollywood Reporter. "That said, it's possible to be grateful for the opportunity and respectful of the colleagues and the people that I work with and still maintain a steadfast sense of your self-worth."
For now, Kim serves as an executive producer alongside David Shore on ABC's "The Good Doctor." He was unable to contain his excitement and jitters about his return to the ABC network.
"I couldn't be more excited to be back at ABC where I started my career in earnest and to be working with such incredible people," Kim continued. "This is the start of something new, and I'm really grateful for that, too."
"The Good Doctor," based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name, follows a young surgeon, Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), who has autism and savant syndrome. He enters the prestigious pediatric department of San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. There, he is helped by his mentor and good friend, Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff).
"The Good Doctor," which also stars Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Beau Garrett, Chuku Modu and Hill Harper, premieres on Monday, Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC.
