Djimon Hounsou, who’s appeared in films from Marvel, DC, Netflix, and many more, has said he is “still struggling to make a living” in Hollywood.
Hounso told CNN he is “definitely underpaid” in the film industry despite having been nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars on two separate occasions (for In America and Blood Diamond) and appearing in myriad blockbusters.
“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 said.
These comments echo those made by Hounsou in 2023, when he told The Guardian: “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.”
Hounsou, a black actor from Benin, alleged racism and xenophobia has an impact on his career. “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,'” he said.
“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.”
Hounsou recently appeared in A Quiet Place: Day One alongside the two Rebel Moon films from Netflix, video game adaptation Gran Turismo, The King’s Man, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Captain Marvel, Fast and Furious 7, and many more films.
Image Credit: Rob Kim/Getty Images for The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
