“I’m still struggling financially”: After the Oscar Snubbed Him for Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou Reveals His Sad Truth in Hollywood
- Djimon Hounsou has established a name for himself in Hollywood with some big blockbusters.
- He has recently claimed that he is "still struggling financially" despite working as an actor for over two decades.
- He also pointed out how the Academy did not recognize for one of his most acclaimed roles.
Djimon Hounsou has broken his silence about unfair pay in Hollywood once again. It is now no secret that there is a pay disparity in the industry- a concern raised by many throughout the years. The Stargate actor has addressed those concerns again recently and it shows that much has not changed despite the protests.
Hounsou shared that he has been struggling financially despite having starred in some rather big blockbusters which earned millions at the box office. While his net worth does not give the idea that he is exactly struggling, his claims that he is being underpaid are entirely believable.
Djimon Hounsou claimed he is “struggling financially” despite having been in Hollywood for decades
Djimon Hounsou was 12 when he immigrated to Paris from the Republic of Benin, a country in West Africa. After struggling for years, he caught the eye of a photographer who introduced him to designer Thierry Mugler. The designer encouraged him to become a model and in 1987, he pursued a career in modeling in Paris.
Three years later, he moved to America to pursue a career in acting and appeared in music videos for several musicians before making his film debut with the movie Without You I’m Nothing. He earned a lot of critical appreciation and even a Golden Globe award nomination for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s historical drama film Amistad.
Since then, he has starred as Korath the Pursuer in several MCU projects, voiced the Fisherman King Ricou in Aquaman, and also got Academy Award nominations for two of his roles early on in his career. Despite this kind of success, he has claimed to CNN that he is “struggling financially”.
I am still struggling trying to make a living. After 30 years…maybe the first 10 years was trying to acclimate myself to the industry, to establish myself. But I’ve been in this business making films now for over two decades and with two Oscar nominations and been in many blockbuster films, and yet, I’m still struggling financially to make a living. I’m definitely underpaid.
Considering that he has an estimated net worth of $2 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, perhaps the phrase “struggling financially to make a living” does not exactly work here. However, there is a good chance that he is underpaid in the industry in comparison to his co-stars.
Djimon Hounsou claimed that the reason behind his unfair treatment in Hollywood was “systematic racism”
Hounsou also raised his concerns about unfair payment back in 2023 in an interview with The Guardian in which he claimed that he knew less talented actors “who are absolutely well off and have very little of my accolades.” Without naming any names, he has made himself quite clear.
In the interview with CNN, he claimed that although Amistad earned him critical appreciation, there was still some negativity around it.
I was nominated for a Golden Globe [for Amistad], but they ignored me for the Oscars, talking about the fact that they thought I had just come off the boat and off the streets, even though I successfully did that. They just didn’t feel like I was an actor for whom we should pay any respect to. So this conceptual idea of diversity, it still has a long way to go. Systemic racism [doesn’t] change like that anytime soon.
He was also notably snubbed of an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Blood Diamond. His co-star Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated in that category instead. The Island actor’s words highlight the continued inequality in Hollywood regarding minority communities. The industry clearly needs to work more on that front.
