After reports surfaced that Arden Cho would not be appearing in the new “Teen Wolf” movie due to pay inequality, the actress confirmed the news in a recent interview with The Cut.
In a Deadline article published Feb. 15, sources shared that Cho, the only actress of color among the four female series regular cast members, was offered half the per-episode salary proposed to her three counterparts.
She turned the offer down (as she should.)
“I think I was actually offered even less,” Cho told The Cut. “I probably would’ve never shared it.”
Cho did not reveal how she learned the salaries of her peers, but as we all know, representation matters.
Asian and Pacific Islanders account for less than 6% of speaking roles and less than 4% of leads and co-leads in Hollywood films, according to a study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
When they are offered roles, a significant proportion of the characters in the movies are stereotypical roles, such as “Martial Artist” or “Model Minority.”
“I could probably, off the top of my head, think of over ten Asian American actors I know who were paid significantly less than their counterparts,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t have a choice to say ‘no.’ Sometimes you just need it. You’ve got bills to pay. … I wasn’t saying ‘no’ necessarily for me or because I was angry. I was saying ‘no’ because I hope that there will be more equality in the future.”
Original “Teen Wolf” star Tyler Posey will be returning for the movie revival, as well as several series regulars and recurring cast members of the 2011 MTV series.
Dylan O’Brien will also not be returning for the show. While he has not issued a statement, he retweeted a screenshot of the article, which many took as him showing support to his former costar.
