Djimon Hounsou is opening up about his financial struggles after being nominated for numerous awards and spending 30 years in the industry.
The actor recently sat down with Larry Maddow for an interview Interview with CNNThe journalist asked Hounsou if African representation has changed since he first started his career. “Yes, a lot has changed,” Hounsou replied.
He added: “When I went out with… AmistadI was nominated for a Golden Globe, but they snubbed me for the Oscars, and talked about the fact that they thought I had just gotten off the boat and off the streets that Steven Spielberg used me on in this movie.
Hounsou noted that while he was participating in a successful film, he did not feel like “an actor to whom we should pay any respect.”
“This conceptual idea of diversity and all that, it still has a long way to go. Systemic racism is not going to change in that way anytime soon,” he said.
Over the years, Hounsou has starred in many films that were considered box office successes such as… Gladiator, Captain Marvel, Charlie’s Angels, Blood Diamond and A Quiet Place: Day One. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards. However, despite these achievements, Hounsou claims that he was not paid as much as one might assume.
“After 30 years, let’s say the first 10 years were probably really trying to fit into the industry,” he said. “I’ve been in this business and making films for over two decades, and still, with two nominations, two Oscar nominations, I’ve been in several big films and yet I still struggle financially to make a living. I’m definitely underpaid.
Maddow said it was “mind-boggling” to hear that “one of the first big black actors” he saw growing up in big-budget films was struggling.
Hounsou responded: “This is a sign to you that systemic racism is not something you can take lightly. It is deeply ingrained in many of the things we do across the board and you cannot overcome it.”
But for Hounsou, he hopes the work he’s done makes people in West Africa, where he’s from, feel proud. “I came to California with this urgent need to do something for my continent and to do something for my people in general and to champion the idea of reconciliation and reconnection with the motherland,” he said. “I only hope that I have contributed to changing the discourse about our people and the continent.”
