It’s hard to believe, but Djimon Hounsou has been twice nominated for an Oscar and none of them were for his breakout role in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad.” Hounsou’s two Best Supporting Actor nods were for “In America” (2003) and “Blood Diamond” (2006).
You’d expect a twice Oscar nominated actor to make a decent career out of it, but according to Hounsou, he’s “struggling” to make ends meet. Speaking to CNN, the Beninese-born actor, Hounsou says he is often lowballed when it comes to the salary he gets from his work.
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.
It’s not that Hounsou lacks work, his most recent credits include “A Quiet Place: Day One,” “Gran Turismo” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” but rather that he has “yet to meet the film that paid me fairly.”
I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar! 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.
I’m not sure how Honsou can say with a straight face that he’s “struggling to make a living.” Wasn’t he just in “Shazam 2,” “Captain Marvel,” “Furious 7,” “The King’s Man,” “A Quiet Place Part II” “Black Adam,” and “Aquaman”?
My advice to Hounsou: GET A BETTER AGENT.
This isn’t the first time Hounsou has complained about his Hollywood struggle. Back in March 2023, he told The Guardian that he was “struggling to make a dollar” and felt “tremendously cheated” by the whole ordeal.
Hounsou is even bitter about being Oscar-snubbed for 1997’s “Amistad,” in which he played slave rebellion leader Cinqué. The actor alleges he was passed over for a nom because of xenophobia and racism.
I was nominated for the Golden Globe, but they ignored me for the Oscars, talking about the fact that they thought that I had just came off the boat and off the streets. Even though I successfully did that [film], they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom they should pay any respect. This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism don’t change like that anytime soon.
In case you’re wondering, Hounsou’s net worth is apparently $4 million. Yes, that’s not Tom Cruise money, but it’s a far cry from “struggling to make a dollar.” It’s possible that he’s getting underpaid, but Hounsou has always been a character actor, and never really led films.