Grace Park goes in-depth on Hawaii Five-0 exit for the first time

Why did Grace Park leave Hawaii Five-0 after seven seasons? We know that it’s been a question that has been asked on a number of occasions over the years.

Yet, the goal of this article isn’t to harp on things from the past, but rather to take a look at where things were and where they are now. There were a number of reasons ascribed to why Park may have departed, including a desire for pay parity or a desire to spend more time with her family. Yet, speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a new interview (promoting in part her new drama A Million Little Things), Park notes that none of this may be altogether accurate. Her departure wasn’t about any one thing and she never gave any explicit consent to speak on her behalf over it. Instead, her decision was multi-faceted and she did what she thought was best for her:

“There were a number of factors spanning the show that affected the non-renewal of my contract (pauses) … I’m grateful for the lessons learned, but I chose what was best for my integrity.

“I know that people are always trying their best, and everyone’s coming from their own backgrounds. Throughout the whole series, I kept trying to see the best in everybody (pauses) … 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.”

Ultimately, it does seem as though Park is in a great place now playing a very different sort of character on a very different sort of show. (Read more on A Million Little Pieces over here.) She was excellent as Kono for many years and we certainly do miss her; yet, simultaneously we do think that Hawaii Five-0 has done as good of a job as it can moving forward with some of their new characters. Daniel Dae Kim also departed, and he is now an executive producer over on The Good Doctor in addition to starring in the latest Hellboy movie.

If Park ever wanted to return for one final appearance as Kono, we’d be game for it — if it doesn’t happened, we are at least hearing about her character more through Ian Anthony Dale’s Adam, who may be in some hot water entering season 9. (Read more about the premiere episode of season 9 over here.)

What do you think about Grace Park’s comments on her Hawaii Five-0 exit? Share in the comments.

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