“Shazam!” star Djimon Hounsou said “it’s a struggle” to get paid his worth in Hollywood even after being in the business for more than 30 years.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, the 58-year-old said he’s “still struggling to try to make a dollar” while he sees those who have been acting in movies just as long as him who are doing better financially.
“I’ve come up in the business with some people who are absolutely well off and have very little of my accolades,” Hounsou said.
“So I feel cheated, tremendously cheated, in terms of finances and in terms of the workload as well,” he added. “I still have to prove why I need to get paid.”
Actor Djimon Hounsou slams Hollywood for feeling ‘tremendously cheated’ by industry https://t.co/RQw4vtIKhN pic.twitter.com/JDA2N9EWor
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“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,'” the actor continued. “Film after film, it’s a struggle. I have yet to meet the film that paid me fairly.”
At one point, the “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” star said he’d been upset over the years by the limited roles for black people, noting that in a five-year span, he played a slave three times.
“I felt seriously cheated,” Hounsou said, as he expressed frustration in not being recognized by the industry for his work.
“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,” he added. “It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that.”
Hounsou got his first big break in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad,” where he landed the role of a rebellious slave. He has since appeared in hit movies like “Gladiator,” “Blood Diamond,” “Tomb Raider,” and “Aquaman.”
He said out of all the films he’s worked on, “the DC universe has a level of respect.”
“There wasn’t much to the role at first… I did it and it was fun,” he said of the first “Shazam!” “But the second time around it was a little more respectful.”
“From time to time, they [Hollywood] themselves make the point of saying: ‘We should give him more, he’s a little underappreciated,'” he added. “I think they recognize that themselves. Hey, it’s the struggle I have to overcome!”