Former Teen Wolf star Arden Cho said she turned down coming back to the MTV show because of pay inequity.
Even though the series will be revived as a film on Paramount+, Cho, the only woman of color in the series, decided against coming back after being offered half the per-episode salary as the series’ other actresses (who are white) according to Deadline via The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter cites The Cut, who interviewed Cho recently about the pay disparity.
She clarified that she believes she was offered even less than what was reported. She also said that the information didn’t come from her team, because she probably would never have shared it. However, she said that she’s not the only Asian actress who has been offered less than what they are worth.
"I could probably, off the top of my head, think of over 10 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."
She said that she hopes that her decision to decline Teen Wolf will lead more equal pay, saying, “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.”
Cho will be seen next leading the upcoming Netflix series Partner Track.
