Djimon Hounsou is one of the best actors working today. And his career got off to an incredible start thanks to a role in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad.” However, according to the actor, he feels a bit robbed of an even better career had he been able to win Oscars for his early work.
Speaking to The Guardian, Oscar-nominated actor, Djimon Hounsou explained how he feels about being nominated for Oscars years ago, well before such an emphasis on inclusion and representation. He admitted that perhaps he was “early” with his nominations and that’s why he didn’t win. Hounsou was nominated for two Best Supporting Actor Oscars, for “Blood Diamond” and “In America.” However, the most recent nomination came in 2007.
“If my movies had come out today, I definitely would have gotten an Oscar already,” he said.
The impact of not getting those awards and perhaps even more nominations has been major for Hounsou. He said that because of not having those wins, even to this day, he has to struggle to land roles and earn money.
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“I felt seriously cheated,” Hounsou explained. “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. It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that.”
He continued, “I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar! 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. I still have to prove why I need to get paid. They always come at me with a complete lowball: ‘We only have this much for the role, but we love you so much and we really think you can bring so much.’”
Obviously, when you look at the lack of diversity in the nominations and winners list for acting categories at the Oscars, it’s ridiculous. This year, we saw Michelle Yeoh win Best Actress and it marked just the second time in the history of the award that a person of color has won. And we all know that the words “Oscar-winning actor” mean a hell of a lot more than “Oscar-nominated actor.”
Now, we can’t say that Hounsou has had a terrible career. He’s currently making the rounds promoting the second “Shazam” film. And over recent years, he’s been in a number of franchise films, including “Captain Marvel,” “Furious 7,” “The King’s Man,” and “A Quiet Place Part II.” But clearly, he believes his accolades would be even greater had he won those awards.