Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park Leaving 'Hawaii Five-0'
A major cast shake-up has hit "Hawaii Five-0," as stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park exit the CBS drama before Season 8.
Kim and Park played cousins and police officers Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua since the series premiered in 2010. Variety reports the actors were seeking equal pay with Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, but did not make satisfactory deals with CBS Television Studios.
The characters' absence will be addressed in the Season 8 premiere on Sept. 29. Kono was last seen on a plane headed to Carson City to investigating a child sex trafficking ring, while Chin was mulling a job offer in San Francisco.
Showrunner Peter Lenkov said in a statement, "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. Needless to say, Daniel has been an instrumental part of the success of 'Hawaii Five-0' over the past seven seasons and it has personally been a privilege to know him.
"Grace's presence gave 'Hawaii Five-0' a beauty and serenity to each episode. She was the consummate collaborator, helping build her character from day one. They will always be ohana [Hawaiian for "family"] to us, we will miss them and we wish them both all the best."