The Benin-born actor was nominated for two Oscars for best supporting actor thanks to his work in “In America” and “Blood Diamond.”
Djimon Hounsou He said he continues to struggle as an actor in Hollywood despite having appeared in several blockbusters and having received two Oscar nominations. The actor pointed out that his constant difficulties in Hollywood are an example of the “systemic racism” that prevails in the film industry.
“I still have difficulties making a living”Hounsou said in an interview with CNN. “After 30 years… maybe the first 10 years were trying to acclimate to the industry, to establish myself. But I’ve been in this business making films for more than two decades and with two Oscar nominations and I’ve participated in many highly successful films, and yet, I still struggle financially to make a living. I’m definitely underpaid”.
“It is a sign that systemic racism is not something that can be addressed lightly,” he added. “It’s so ingrained in a lot of things we do in general. You can’t beat it. You just have to face it and survive in the best way possible.”
Despite his extensive and successful career in Hollywood, Dijimon Hounsou continues to fight for a fair salary
Hounsou’s Hollywood career includes blockbusters such as Furious 7two films Shazam!Marvel movies Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marveland horror franchises A Quiet Place: Part II and A Quiet Place: Day Oneplus the Oscar-winning box office hit Ridley Scott Gladiator. He was nominated for two Oscars for best supporting actor thanks to his work in In America and Blood Diamondthe latter co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio and that raised 170 million dollars worldwide.
The actor told The Guardian in 2023 that he feels “tremendously cheated” when it comes to salary in Hollywood, explaining: “I’ve grown up in the business with some people who are absolutely wealthy and have very few of my accolades. So I feel cheated in financial terms and also in terms of workload”.
“I’ve been to meetings with studios and they’re like, ‘Wow, it felt like you just got off the boat and then came back. [después de ‘Amistad’]. We didn’t know you were here as a real actor,’” Hounsou said at the time. “When you hear things like that, you can see that the view that some people have of you, or what you represent, is very limiting. But it is what it is. It is up to me to redeem him.”
“I still have to prove why I need to be paid,” he added. “They always offer me a very low sum: ‘We only have this for the role, but we love you very much and we really believe that you can contribute a lot.’… Movie after movie, it’s a struggle. “I still haven’t met a movie that pays me fairly.”
Hounsou recently appeared in both of the Zack Snyder Rebel Moon for Netflix. His upcoming projects include the survival film Beneath the Storm with Phoebe Dynevorthe thriller The Zealot with Kodi Smit-McPhee and the horror movie Monster of the director of Saw, Darren Lynn Bousman.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
