(코리아타운뉴스) “Fighting for Korean Actor’s Rights”

Daniel Kim withdrew from Hawaii Five-O
“Changes are being made slowly in Hollywood”

Daniel Dae Kim, a Korean-American actor who recently withdrew from CBS television series Hawaii Five-O over alleged racial discrimination, met with reports in Seoul, South Korea on Aug. 30. Kim was at a press conference hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency to attend the Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2017.

Kim and Grace Park withdrew from Hawaii Five-O, a TV series they have been a part of since 2010. The two made the decision to leave the cast after their demands to be paid as much as the Caucasian actors were allegedly rejected.

“Who else would start a conversation like that besides me who has had a successful career in the U.S.?” Kim said. “I have and always will fight to protect the rights of Korean- and Asian-American actors.”

Kim added that even though racial barriers in Hollywood is a deeply rooted issue, changes are being made slowly. He pointed to the casting situation of recent film Hellboy. One of the actors who was assigned to play the role of an Asian in the film eventually withdrew.

“It’s an important incident as it’s the first time a white actor voluntarily withdrew from playing the Asian role,” Kim said.

Kim, who founded production company 3AD in 2014, is attending the BCWW event as the director of Korean drama Good Doctor’s American version. Good Doctor is the first Korean drama to be remade into an American version. The first episode will air Sept. 25 on ABC.


By Jinho No