Washington [USA], January 12 : Two-time Oscar nominee and known for playing character roles Djimon Hounsou revealed that he still struggles to make a living in Hollywood despite gaining fame and receiving critical acclaim from small and big films.
In a recent interview on CNN's African Voices Changemakers as quoted by Deadline, Djimon who is mostly known for his performances in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, Steven Spielberg's Amistad, Blood Diamond and In America which also got him two Oscar nominations, said he is often lowballed when it comes to financial compensation for his work.
"I'm still struggling to make a living, I've been in this business making films now for over two decades with two Oscar nominations, been in many blockbuster films, and yet, I'm still struggling financially. I'm definitely underpaid."
Hounsou, whose recent credits include 'A Quiet Place: Day One', 'Gran Turismo' and 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' has previously talked about the roadblocks he faces.
As per the Deadline report, while talking to The Guardian in 2023, the actor said he has "yet to meet the film that paid me fairly."
"I'm still struggling to try to make a dollar! I've come up in the business with some people who are absolutely well off and have very little of my accolades. So I feel cheated, tremendously cheated, in terms of finances and in terms of the workload as well. 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 [after Amistad]. 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."
In his conversation on CNN, the actor also alleged that he was passed over for an Oscar nomination because of xenophobia and racism, Deadline reported.
"I was nominated for the Golden Globe, 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," he claimed. "Even though I successfully did that [film], they just didn't feel like I was an actor to 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."
Honsou will be next seen in a horror film 'The Monster' from 'Saw' franchise 'Darren Lynn Bousman', a shark movie opposite Phoebe Dynevor called 'Beneath the Storm' and a thriller 'The Zealot' with Kodi Smit-McPhee.
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