Despite Being Nominated For Two Oscars, Djimon Hounsou Said He's "Struggling Financially" As An Actor

17 hours ago 3

He's been active in the industry since 1990.

Two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou is opening up about the realities of being a working actor and why all that glitters isn't gold.

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Djimon is widely known for starring in box-office hits like Gladiator, Blood Diamond, Amistad, as well as several Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC films. Most recently, he appeared alongside Lupita Nyong'o in the apocalyptic horror drama A Quiet Place: Day One.

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But despite the laundry list of movies under his belt since he kicked off his Hollywood career over 30 years ago and multi-award nominations, the Benin native revealed that he's "struggling financially" on a recent episode of CNN’s African Voices Changemakers.

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"I’m still struggling to make a living," Djimon 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."

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"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," he claimed. "Even though I successfully did that, they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom they should pay any respect."

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He went on to share his perspective on Hollywood diversity and the progress he believes still needs to be made in the entertainment industry.

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"This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism won’t change like that anytime soon."

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But this isn't the first time Djimon has spoken out about unfair wages. In a 2023 interview with the Guardian, he revealed that he has "yet to meet the film that paid me fairly."

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“I still have to prove why I need to get paid," he continued. "They always come at me with a complete low ball: 'We only have this much for the role, but we love you so much and we really think you can bring so much.' "

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You can watch Djimon's full CNN interview here.

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