Actor Djimon Hounsou Opens Up About The Difficulties In Hollywood and Says He Feels “Cheated” By The Film Industry: “I’m Still Struggling To Make A Dollar”

Actor Djimon Hounsou shares that he feels “extremely cheated” by the entertainment industry.

The two-time Oscar nominee recently sat down with The Guardian and opened up about his experience working in Hollywood and the challenges he faced to land roles.

“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,” Hounsou said. “It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that.”

The actor also added that he is “struggling to make a dollar” despite being nominated for a handful of awards for his various roles.

“I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar!” he revealed. “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 continued, “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.”

Hounsou began his acting career in 1997 starring in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad” film. He later gained more recognition for his roles after securing Academy nominations for his roles in “Blood Diamond”  and “In America.” In addition, Hounsou was also featured in films such as “Charlie’s Angels,” “Aquaman” and “Furious 7.”