Djimon Hounsou is one of the most prolific actors working in Hollywood today. In the comic book movie realm alone, he's starred in Constantine, Guardians of the Galaxy, Aquaman, Captain Marvel, Shazam!, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
He also received "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar nominations for his roles in Blood Diamond and In America. Despite finding that level of success, the actor recently looked back on his career in an interview with CNN and revealed he's "struggling financially to make a living."
"I am still struggling trying to make a living," Hounsou admitted. "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."
"That’s a sign for you that systemic racism is not something you can deal with lightly," he said of why he believes he's not being paid the same amount as his co-stars. "It’s so deeply inserted in so many things we do across the board. You don’t overcome it. You just sort of have to cope with it and survive the best way you can."
Hounsou didn't share specifics about how little he's been paid compared to other actors. There was also no clarification about how or why he's struggling after starring in the likes of Gran Turismo, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver, and A Quiet Place: Day One over the past two years.
Regardless, this echoes what the actor said in 2023 when he talked about feeling "tremendously cheated" by his Hollywood pay. "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 in terms of finances and in terms of the workload as well," Hounsou said at the time.
"I’ve gone to studios for meetings and they’re like: 'Wow, we felt like you just got off the boat and then went back [after 'Amistad']. We didn’t know you were here as a true actor.' When you hear things like that, you can see that some people’s vision of you, or what you represent, is very limiting. But it is what it is. It’s up to me to redeem that."
"I still have to prove why I need to get paid," he added. "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."
Hounsou's upcoming projects include Beneath the Storm, The Zealot, and The Monster.