Djimon Hounsou Discusses Hollywood Racism and His Financial Difficulties

Djimon Hounsou holding award
Djimon Hounsou/Credit: Depositphotos

*Djimon Hounsou, a two-time Oscar nominee, has revealed that he continues to face financial struggles despite decades in Hollywood.

In an interview with CNN Africa, he criticized the industry for its systemic racism and expressed frustration at being overlooked in his career. Hounsou also shared that he has been underpaid and studios have offered him lowball offers. He has been in the filmmaking business for over two decades and still struggles financially.

“I’m still struggling to make a living,” he said, Complex reports. “I’ve been in the filmmaking business for over two decades with two Oscar nominations and many blockbuster films, and yet, I’m still struggling financially. I’m definitely underpaid.”

Hounsou, known for roles in films like “Gladiator,” “Amistad,” and “A Quiet Place,” previously voiced frustration about being overlooked in his career.

“I was nominated for the Golden Globe [for Amistad], but they ignored me for the Oscars, talking about the fact that they thought that I had just came off the boat and off the streets,” Hounsou stated in the CNN interview. “Even though I successfully did that [film], they just didn’t feel like I was an actor for whom they should pay any respect. This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism don’t change like that anytime soon.”

Djimon Hounsou
Djimon Hounsou arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire’ held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on December 13, 2023, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency)

In a 2023 sit-down with The Guardian, Hounsou said he “felt seriously cheated” when his “Blood Diamond” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio received a lead actor nomination while Hounsou’s character carried the story. 

“Today, we talk so much about the Oscars being so white, but I remember there was a time where I had no support at all: no support from my own people, no support from the media, from the industry itself. It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that,” he told the publication.

“I’ve gone to studios for meetings and they’re like: ‘Wow, we felt like you just got off the boat and then went back,” Hounsou shared. “We didn’t know you were here as a true actor.’ When you hear things like that, you can see that some people’s vision of you, or what you represent, is very limiting. But it is what it is. It’s up to me to redeem that.”

Hounsou — who shares 15-year-old son Kenzo with ex Kimora Lee Simmons and 2-year-old son Fela with partner Ri’Za, said studios “always come at me with a complete low ball.”

READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Djimon Hounsou Says Hollywood Ain’t Cutting The Check 

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