The Benin-born actor Djimon Hounsou is opening up about the realities of working in Hollywood as a person of color.
This incredible actor has starred in critically acclaimed films such as Amistad, Blood Diamond, In America, and other movies.
It is safe to say all major blockbuster films starring Djimon Hounsou have earned him widespread awards recognition and critical acclaim.
Yet, in a recent interview on an episode of CNN’s African Voices Changemakers, the 60-year-old actor revealed during the conversation that he still has difficulty making ends meet as a working artist.
He spoke up about his experience in Hollywood as well as how the industry still has a long way to go in terms of systemic racism.
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Hounsou revealed that he is still underpaid despite two decades in the industry.
He revealed that he felt he was “ignored” for the Oscars when he was nominated for a Golden Globe in his breakout role in Amistad.
“I’m still struggling to make a living,” he said. “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.”
“I was nominated for the Golden Globe, but they ignored me for the Oscars because they thought that I had just come off the boat and the streets. Even though I successfully did that, they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom they should pay any respect.”
He added that he believed the “conceptual idea of diversity” still had “a long way to go,” explaining, “Systemic racism won’t change like that anytime soon.”
This revelation is certainly a shocking one to many, as the actor has appeared in some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed films over three decades.
One may think an actor of such caliber with two Oscar nominations, numerous SAG Award nominations, and multiple NAACP Image Awards would be struggling to make a living in Hollywood.
Hounsou spoke out about the lack of opportunities in that industry to this day, Black actors were still being underserved.
This is not the first time the actor has opened up about his struggles in the entertainment field.
During an interview last year, the actor noted:
“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.”
