ActorDjimon Hounsourecently spoke with CNNs Larry Madowo forAfrican Voices: Changemakersabout his non-profit, theDjimon Hounsou Foundation, which carries the mission of “strengthening connections among the African diaspora.” In the interview, the two-time Oscar-nominated actor revealed that he struggles financially due to systemic racism in Hollywood.
Hailing from the West African country of Benin, Hounsou recalled in theCNN interviewwalking the beaches in Ouidah and seeing the “Door of No Return,” a memorial to enslaved Africans who were taken from the port of Ouidah to the Americas. Hounsou and Madowo conducted the recent interview in Richmond, Virginia, a major entry point on the other end of the slave trade and the capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
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Hounsou and Madowo also visited the memorial for enslaved Africans in Richmond, where Hounsou recalled the pain he felt upon coming to America in 1990 when he learned more about the slave trade.
“I don’t know if I can articulate it in words. For the little that I’ve been experiencing, for the little that I’ve been struggling with in terms of systemic racism, today and all that, just imagine what it was once upon a time here to try and exist as a human being. Just imagine that.”
“It’s just heart wrenching,” he added. “I feel like my spiritual soul is yelling to the sky and wanting to be seen, to be heard.”
The seed for the Djimon Hounsou Foundation was planted from the research Hounsou did for his role in Steven Spielberg’s 1997 filmAmistad, when the actor played the role of Cinqué, a slave rebellion leader. In the CNN interview, Hounsou also noted that while he was nominated for a Golden Globe, often a harbinger of future Oscar acclaim, for his role in Amistad, he was passed over by the Academy Awards for his performance.
“I was nominated for the Golden Globe, but they ignored me for the Oscars, talking about the fact that they thought that I had just came off the boat and off the streets. Even though I successfully did that [film], they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom they should pay any respect. This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism don’t change like that anytime soon.”
Hounsou encounters racism in Hollywood not only in a critical sense, but also a financial one.
“I’m still struggling to make a living,” he said. “I’ve been in this business making films now for over two decades with two Oscar nominations, been in many blockbuster films, and yet, I’m still struggling financially. I’m definitely underpaid.”
“You Have to Cope With It and Survive the Best Way You Can.”
FollowingAmistad, Hounsou appeared in the 2000 Ridley Scott blockbusterGladiator. He finally received his first Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 2002 Jim Sheridan-directed filmIn America. He was also nominated in the same category for his role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2007 filmBlood Diamond. Hounson’s recent films includeShazam! Fury of the Gods, Gran Turismo, the first twoRebel Moonmovies andA Quiet Place: Day One.
Despite his busy work schedule, Hounsou is still not being compensated appropriately. “Growing up, you’re one of the first big Black actors I saw in big budget films,” CNN’s Larry Madowo told Hounsou in the interview. “So [being underpaid is] mind-boggling to me.”
“Well, that’s a sign for you that systemic racism is not something that you can deal with lightly,” Hounsou replied. “You have to cope with it and survive the best way you can.”
