He was cast as a slave three times in five years
Djimon Hounsou has spoken out about his struggles to make a living in Hollywood despite twice being nominated for an Academy Award.
The Shazam! Fury of the Gods star has detailed the hardship he’s faced in an interview with The Guardian, telling the publication he feels “seriously cheated” by Tinseltown, and lamented how he’s been cast as a slave three times in five years.
The 58-year-old, who received Oscar nominations for In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), recently starred as the wizard in the DC flick alongside Helen Mirren.
“Today, we talk so much about the Oscars being so white, but I remember there was a time where I had no support at all: no support from my own people, no support from the media, from the industry itself,” he told the publication.
“It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that.”
Hounsou, who also stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Korath the Pursuer, explained that he is still struggling to get by despite being recognised at the highest level for his craft.
“I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar!” he said.
“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.”
Despite that, Hounsou said things were slowly improving, and movie bosses were realising he’s “a little under appreciated”.
“I think they recognise that themselves,” Hounsou said, adding: “Hey, it’s the struggle I have to overcome!”
Honsou’s revelations follow Ke Huy Quan’s historic win at last week’s Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Read more: Ke Huy Quan’s incredible Oscar win comeback after quitting acting because no one would hire him
Quan gave up on his dreams of becoming a movie star after appearing in two of the biggest movies of the 1980s, because no one would hire him.
Accepting his award, Quan told the star-studded crowd in Los Angeles: “They say stories like this only happen in the movies.
“I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream.”
After he appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (as Short Round) and The Goonies (as Data), Quan was forced to quit acting in the 90s. He became a stunt choreographer and assistant director, before returning to acting in the 2020s.
Read The Guardian’s full interview with Djimon Hounsou here.
Related links:
- Actor who went back to working at Starbucks after starring in movie wins an Oscar
- Ke Huy Quan’s incredible Oscar win comeback after quitting acting because no one would hire him
- Keanu Reeves cuddles up with adorable puppies during TV interview
- Keanu Reeves pays emotional tribute to John Wick co-star Lance Reddick
- The Wire and John Wick actor, Lance Reddick, dies aged 60
- Jurassic Park star Sam Neill diagnosed with stage-three cancer
- Denzel Washington reportedly joining cast of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel
