“Amistad.” “Blood Diamond”. “In America”. All major blockbusters starring Djimon Hounsou that brought him wide acclaim and critical acclaim. However, in a recent interview, the actor revealed that he is still struggling to make ends meet as a working artist.
Hounsou recently spoke to CNN Africa and talked about his experiences in Hollywood and how the industry still has a long way to go when it comes to systemic racism. “I’m still struggling to make a living,” he revealed in the video. “I have been in the film industry for over twenty years, with two Oscar nominations and numerous blockbusters, and yet I still struggle financially. I definitely don’t earn enough.”
Talking about his previous career in Hollywood, he revealed that he felt “ignored” at the Oscars when he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his breakout role in “Amistad.” He explained: “I was nominated for a Golden Globe, but they ignored me for the Oscars because they thought I had just gotten off the boat and onto the streets… even though I made it, they just didn’t feel like I was an actor they should show respect to.”
He added that he believed the “conceptual idea of diversity” still had “a long way to go,” explaining that “systemic racism isn’t going to change like this anytime soon.”
Like us reportedThis isn’t the first time the actor has opened up about his struggles in the entertainment industry. He just said last September in an interview: “I found myself in this business with some people who are absolutely wealthy and get very little accolades, so I feel cheated, hugely cheated in terms of finances and in terms of workload as well.”
This revelation is certainly shocking since the actor has, as mentioned earlier, appeared in some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed films of the last 30 years. He has also appeared in various Marvel movies such as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Captain Marvel’, two ‘A Quiet Place’ films, ‘Shazam’, ‘Aquaman’… the list goes on. This man even appeared in Janet’s iconic music video “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” in 1990!
You’d think that an actor with two Oscar nominations, one for “On America” and one for “Blood Diamond,” multiple NAACP Image Awards, numerous SAG Award nominations, and more, would have no trouble making a living in Hollywood, and however, here Hounsou speaks bluntly about the current lack of opportunities in the industry for black actors. As far as we’re concerned, Hounsou is a top fighter and shouldn’t have that much trouble with a resume like this This.
This story originally appeared on The Root, our sister site, on January 11.
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