Djimon Hounsou: “I’m Still Struggling To Try To Make A Dollar!” Speaks Out On His Hollywood Career

Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Hounsou has been a fixture in Hollywood for 33 years, earning two Academy Award nominations for his performances in "In America" and "Blood Diamond" among many other notable roles. Despite his success, Hounsou recently stated that he still feels "tremendously cheated" when it comes to pay in the industry.

"I'm still struggling to try to make a dollar!" Hounsou 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."

Hounsou has gone to meetings with studios where they have expressed surprise at his presence in the industry, despite his impressive resume. "When you hear things like that, you can see that some people's vision of you, or what you represent, is very limiting," he said. "But it is what it is. It's up to me to redeem that."

Hounsou also spoke about the lack of recognition he's received, both from the Oscars and from his peers in the industry. He felt particularly cheated when he didn't receive the same level of acclaim as his co-star in "Amistad," Anthony Hopkins, despite earning universal praise for his performance.

"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," Hounsou said. "It felt like: 'You should be happy that you've got nominated,' and that's that."

Despite these challenges, Hounsou remains determined to prove his worth and continue fighting for fair pay and recognition. He's currently starring in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and says that the DC universe has shown him more respect than other studios.

"From time to time, [Hollywood] themselves make the point of saying: 'We should give him more, he's a little underappreciated.' I think they recognize that themselves," Hounsou said. "Hey, it's the struggle I have to overcome!"

Ultimately, Hounsou's story highlights the ongoing struggle for equal pay and recognition in Hollywood, even for actors with impressive resumes and accolades. But as Hounsou shows, the fight is far from over.