“I’m still looking for a film that will pay me properly”: Djimon Hounsou on salaries in Hollywood

As he prepares to reprise his role as the wizard in Shazam! Wrath of the Gods (in theaters March 29), Beni actor Djimon Hounsou recently reflected on his entire career on the mic. guard.

On his humble beginnings and especially the particularly difficult period when he found himself homeless when he arrived in Paris, the actor, who is now famous in the Hollywood landscape, also recounted his first steps in cinema.

Even if today we can see him in the casting of major blockbusters such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Fast & Furious 7 or Aquaman, Djimon Hounsou portrays the beginning of his career littered with pitfalls. He explains that he was not immediately recognized as an actor, despite his excellent performance in Steven Spielberg’s moving Amistad, which was praised by critics but forgotten at the Oscars.

“I was probably early. If my films were released today, I would probably have already received the Oscar”said the actor, who was eventually nominated for In America and Blood Diamond, but without winning the famous statue.

“I felt seriously cheated. Today we talk a lot about the ‘So White’ Oscars, but I remember that at the time I didn’t have the slightest support: not from my family, not from the media, not from the industry itself. I felt like I was being told, ‘You should consider yourself lucky that You are nominated.”

in the interview guardJimon Hunson also specifies that at that time he was always offered the same roles and that, for example, he played three slave characters in five years. The actor adds that even today his salary does not depend on his work:

“I still have to show why I should pay. They always come to me with very modest offers and say, ‘This is all we have for this role, but we really like you and we really think you can bring a lot.’ (…) Viola Davis said it perfectly: she won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and still doesn’t get paid. Movie after movie, it’s a battle. I’m still looking for a film that will pay me properly.”

(Re)discover the trailer for ‘Amistad’, one of the first films to feature Djimon Hounsou…