Arden Cho has expressed love for her fans after news of her refusal to be in the new “Teen Wolf” movie – purportedly due to having been offered half the compensation her co-stars were – made rounds on Tuesday.
Cho, who played the popular character Kira Yukimura in the MTV series, is “currently not attached” to the upcoming film at Paramount Plus, according to Variety, though additional names are set to be announced “at a later date.”
Kira, a Thunder Kitsune who first appeared in Season 3, captured fans’ hearts throughout Seasons 4 and 5 only to be cut from the show’s sixth and final season.
Why exactly Cho may not be returning to reprise her role has not been officially confirmed, but sources reportedly told Deadline that she was “offered half the per-episode salary proposed to her three counterparts.”
Although the three counterparts have not been named, Cho is the only actor of color among the four female regulars in the series.
Her “counterparts” can be assumed to be, however, Crystal Reed, Holland Roden and Shelley Hennig — all of whom are expected to return for the movie.
The report immediately sparked outrage on Twitter with some fans posing the question of why Cho might have been offered less than Reed’s character, Allison Argent, who is already dead on the show.
she got offered HALF of what allison got and ALLISON IS DEAD. SHES A GHOST. HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?!?!?!?!? https://t.co/xP1Hc5ypBU
This is literally so foul. The way all the white women series regulars (Crystal, Holland, & Shelley) were paid, but @arden_cho was only offered half? And Crystal’s character is literally dead! We been knew #TeenWolf was racist. https://t.co/9qttLajrP8
Meanwhile, others have speculated that fellow cast member Dylan O’Brien — whose name was also missing from the cast list for the movie — supports Cho’s purported decision after he “liked” a tweet about the news.
Arden was offered half the salary everyone else got and passed on the movie. If you look through Dylan’s likes then you’ll see he liked a tweet supporting her decision
Amid the ongoing controversy, Cho sent her fans love in a tweet on Wednesday. While she has not made any direct statements about “Teen Wolf” casting or compensation, she has “liked” tweets addressing the issue.
Cho’s tweet won supportive messages from fans, including from fellow “Teen Wolf” star Meagan Tandy, who played the mercenary Braeden from Sseasons 3 to 5 but was also not reported to return for the movie.
Sending you a BIIIIIIIGGGGGG hug. I’m proud of you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
you deserve better. it’s crazy how this shit still happens. so unfair and ridiculous. i’m glad you stood up for yourself and walked away, it’s their loss. kira was such an amazing and important character but they never really appreciated her in the way she deserves. so sad pic.twitter.com/8RMVWJhWTF
“Teen Wolf: The Movie” is slated for release later this year. Cho, on the other hand, is set to lead legal drama “Partner Track” on Netflix, adapted from Helen Wan’s 2013 novel of the same name.
Featured Image via MTV (left) and Arden Cho (right)
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