United States-born, Canadian-raised actress Grace Park was one of the stars of the Hawaii Five-0 reboot and appeared in 168 episodes from when it first aired in 2010 until 2017.
But, after seven seasons, Park left the show that made her a household name.
It was reportedly due to failed contract negotiations, but later hinted that problems with her Hawaii Five-0 castmates played a part in her decision.
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She went on to star in a role that was specially written for her in the family drama A Million Little Things, which ended its five-season run in 2023.
Park was born in Los Angeles on March 14, 1974. Both her parents are Korean. Just before she turned two, the family moved to Vancouver, Canada.
Her first acting credit was a minor role as a background dancer in the 2000 action thriller Romeo Must Die.
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Over the next year, she appeared in numerous TV shows, including Secret Agent Man, The Immortal, starring Lorenzo Lamas, the Jessica Alba series Dark Angel and Stargate SG-1.
Her first big break came when she was cast in the Canadian TV series, Edgemont. Park appeared in 69 episodes between 2001 and 2005, when the show ended.
She also worked on numerous other projects in that time, including the 2003 mini-series Battlestar Galactica.
She appeared in films, including West 32nd, and had ongoing roles in TV series’ The Cleaner and The Border.
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In 2010, Park was announced as one of four stars in the much-anticipated Hawaii Five-0 reboot alongside Australian actor Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan and former Lost star Daniel Dae Kim.
Her character, Kono Kalakaua, was a former surfer who was recruited by O’Loughlin’s character Steve McGarrett while in her final days of attending police academy.
Filming began in Honolulu in March 2010 and the show premiered in September that year – 42 years after the original series.
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During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Park admitted she didn’t know much about the original show apart from its distinctive theme song.
The show became a hit in the United States and other countries, including Australia.
During an appearance at Comic-Con 2010, Park was asked about working on the series.
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“There’s a tonne of action… there’s a lot involved in stunts or things exploding, or pyrotechnics behind me and that kind of stuff,” she said.
“Getting used to stunts is a little bit different. Pretending to take some hits is one thing.
“Totally getting padded up and wrestling, throwing punches and combos, diving into the pool, choking people, it’s like a whole other game.”
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She also described jumping out of a window onto a mat.
“I tweaked my shoulder, I hurt my neck, and I was like, this is not as easy as it looks,” she said.
Park remained with the show for seven seasons before her character was written out.
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The season seven finale saw her character board a flight to Nevada, where it was later revealed she had joined a taskforce to combat sex trafficking.
It was reported Park and her co-star Kim left the series after their contract negotiations broke down.
Both stars, who are of Asian descent, were said to be upset they were earning significantly less than their white co-stars, even though they were better-known when the show first aired.
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Kim released a statement after news broke they were not returning, in which he said ”the path to equality is rarely easy,” while Park opted to stay silent until the following year.
She told Entertainment Weekly in 2018 she was “not interested in airing out dirty laundry” over her reasons for leaving the show at the time.
“The whole situation was just a bit too charged for me,” she said.
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She also revealed she contacted the show’s executive producer Peter M. Lenkov, who said in a tweet she had left the show after being “away from her family for seven years” to tell him it “wasn’t cool that you made a statement on my behalf.”
“I didn’t leave for that reason,” she said.
“There were a number of factors spanning the show that affected the non-renewal of my contract… I’m grateful for the lessons learned, but I chose what was best for my integrity.”
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She also hinted at tension with some of her co-stars.
“Throughout the whole series, I kept trying to see the best in everybody,” she said. “Would I do it all over again? I wouldn’t be so quick to say ‘yes’… I’m still figuring stuff out.”
“Sometimes people are just really good at burying stuff, and I think I’m like that,” she continued. “I just look at this time as something that I went through. I didn’t understand it while I was going through it.”
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After Hawaii Five-0, Park appeared in a couple of films and before stepping into a role in a new ensemble drama series, A Million Little Things, about a group of friends grappling with the death of one of their circle.
Series creator DJ Nash admitted he wrote the role for Park but she passed it up and it eventually went to another actress, who filmed the pilot.
However, they decided to recast the role and again offered it to Park. She declined again, before eventually agreeing to play Katherine, a lawyer who is juggling her career with raising her son and working to repair her troubled marriage.
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“When we were shooting the pilot, then when I was editing it, I was thinking she would be perfect for this,” he said. “She has such strength, and is able to display vulnerability despite the strength.”
“Katherine is probably the character I’ve created for TV that I’m the most proud of – a strong Korean-American woman whose family immigrated here.
“It’s something very close to my heart, and Grace’s.”
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During the 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Park said the cast were “going through a lot of steps to make sure we have the ensemble vibe.”
“We all have the same trailers, the same treatment. We don’t necessarily have the same salaries… but maybe we’ll be at parity in a few years,” she said, adding what appeared to be another dig at her former Hawaii Five-0 castmates.
“I’m good leaving the boys’ club, and I’m hopeful for the future.”
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A Million Little Things ended its five-season run in 2023.
That same year, Park was an ambassador for the 2023 Vancouver Asian Film Festival Park, where she spoke to Cold Tea Collective.
She said she found her role in A Million Little Things “really satisfying” after years of playing Kono on Hawaii Five-0.
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“I got to be the everywoman. She’s a parent, you know? She’s a working mum. And so I appreciate that. Perfectionism is so draining,” she said.
Park, now 50, lives in Vancouver.
She has been married to real estate developer Phil Kim since 2004 and they have one son, who was born in 2013.
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