Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou says he’s ‘still struggling to make a living,’ blames ‘systematic racism’

nypost.com:

“African Voices Changemakers.”“I’m definitely underpaid,” he added.Hounsou’s most famous movies include “Amistad,” “Gladiator,” “In America,” “Blood Diamond,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Captain Marvel,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Shazam!,” “A Quiet Place Part II,” “A Quiet Place: Day One,” and both “Rebel Moon” films.His roles in “In America” and “Blood Diamond” earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 and 2007, respectively.Hounsou, who was born in West African and immigrated to the U.S.

at age 23, said he believes he was snubbed by the Oscars for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad.”“I was nominated for the Golden Globe, but they ignored me for the Oscars because they thought that I had just come off the boat and the streets,” Hounsou recalled. “Even though I successfully did that, they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom they should pay any respect,” he added.Hounsou went on, “This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go.

Systemic racism don’t change like that anytime soon.”The actor previously opened up about his struggles in Hollywood while speaking to The Guardian in March 2023.“I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar!” he expressed in the interview.“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 explained.Hounsou also spoke out about how he had to fight for the paycheck he felt he deserved and was continuously disrespected.“I still have to prove why I need to get paid,” he shared. “They always come at me with a complete low ball: ‘We only.