Djimon Hounson says he’s still struggling to earn a decent check for his acting roles despite being in multiple successful films throughout his 33-year career.
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His acting accolades include two Academy Awards nominations and appearing in films such as “Gladiator,” “Amistad,” “Blood Diamond,” “Shazam!” and several others. According to Variety, the veteran actor says he’s “still struggling to make a dollar!” and feels cheated out of the pay he deserves. “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,” he explained.
Hounson added that he was typecasted for certain roles and called out Hollywood executives for overlooking his talent: “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’… Film after film, it’s a struggle. I have yet to meet the film that paid me fairly.”
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“I felt seriously cheated. 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. It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that.”
Hounsou’s next role is a wizard in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” His role is more expanded than in the first film. During his interview with the Guardian, he says the DC film universe has more respect due to his role, and sometimes Hollywood attempts to give him his flowers.
“From time to time, [Hollywood] themselves make the point of saying: ‘We should give him more, he’s a little under-appreciated.’ I think they recognize that themselves,”
Fans of the actor also expressed similar sentiments as he’s appeared memorable films and feel like his work is not appreciated.