Djimon Hounsou’s acting career has spanned 33 years and includes two nominations for the Academy Award (“In America” and “Blood Diamond”), action blockbusters like “Furious 7,” superhero movies like “Shazam!”, and collaborations with Steven Spielberg (“Amistad”) and Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”), but he told The Guardian that he still feels “tremendously cheated” when it comes to Hollywood
“I’m still trying my best to make a dollar,” the speaker said. Hounsou said. “I came up in the business with some people who are absolutely successful but don’t have nearly as many accolades as I do. As a result, I have the distinct impression that I have been grossly shortchanged, both monetarily and in terms of the amount of work involved.
“When I’ve gone to studios for meetings, the people there have said things like, ‘Wow, we felt like you just got off the boat and then went back [after ‘Amistad’],” she said.
Also Read: Will Smith resigns from Oscars Academy over Rock slap
We were unaware that you were in the building in your capacity as an actual actor,'” Hounsou continued. “When you hear things like that, you can see that some people’s vision of you or what you represent is very limiting. In other words, they have a very narrow perspective of you. But things are how they are. It is up to me to make amends for that.
Prove to get paid
“I still have to prove why I need to get paid,” he continued after that. “I’m not getting paid.” “They always approach me with the absolute lowest possible offer, saying things like, ‘We only have this much for the role, but we love you so much and we really think you can bring so much’… Film after film, it’s a struggle. I have not yet worked on a film that compensated me appropriately.
Hounsou claims that Hollywood has ignored him from the very beginning, beginning with his breakthrough role as a defiant slave in Spielberg’s “Amistad.” Hounsou said that this has been the case ever since. Even though he received praise from everyone, it was his co-star Anthony Hopkins who was nominated for an Oscar for their work in the film.
Despite the fact that “Blood Diamond” focuses just as much on Hounsou’s character as it does on Leonardo DiCaprio’s, the Academy nominated Hounsou for supporting actor for his role in the film and gave DiCaprio the nomination for lead actor.
According to what Hounsou said to ‘The Guardian’, he said “I felt seriously cheated.”
“Today, we talk a lot about how white the Oscars are, but I remember a time when I had no support whatsoever: no support from my own people, no support from the media, and no support from the industry itself. It seemed as though they were saying, you should be happy that you’ve been nominated, and that should be that.”
Latest film
In the latest film from Warner Bros., “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” Hounsou can be seen playing the role of a sorcerer. In comparison to the small amount of screen time he had in the first “Shazam!” movie, he will now have a supporting role that has been significantly expanded.
Also Read: Tom Cruise Unveils Most Dangerous Stunt In Mission: Impossible 7
Hounsou stated that out of all of them, the DC universe enjoys the highest level of respect. “At first, there wasn’t much to the role, but I played it anyway because it was enjoyable. However, when it came up a second time, it was handled with a bit more decorum.
“Every once in a while, [Hollywood] will make it a point to say: ‘We should give him more, he’s a little under-appreciated,'” he said. “[Hollywood] is a place where people like to talk about themselves.” “I believe that they are aware of that themselves,” Hounsou stated as a conclusion. “Hey, this is the challenge that I have to get through!”
“Shazam! “Fury of the Gods” is currently showing in theaters all over the country.
