Re: Oscar-Nominated Actor Says He's "Underpaid", "Struggling" Because Of "Systemic Racism"

On 2025-01-14 17:54:54 +0000, <Monte@greyskyfilms.com> said:

In article <vm5l4q$2dd2b$3@dont-email.me>, weberm@polaris.net wrote:

 Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou says he’s struggling to make ends meet
despite his successful Hollywood career.
 The 60-year-old has appeared in major films such as “Amistad,” “Gladiator,”
“In America,” “Blood Diamond,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Guardians of
the Galaxy,” “Captain Marvel,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Shazam!,” “A Quiet Place
Part II,” “A Quiet Place: Day One,” and both “Rebel Moon” films. But he says
he hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves.
 Hounsou made the remarks during a conversation on CNN’s African Voices
Changemakers.
 “I’m still struggling to make a living,” he said, per People. “I’ve been in
the filmmaking business for over two decades with two Oscar nominations and
many blockbuster films, and yet, I’m still struggling financially. I’m
definitely underpaid.”
 The actor said he thinks The Academy snubbed him for his role in Steven
Spielberg’s “Amistad” (1997). Hounsou pointed out that he received a Golden
Globe nomination for his performance but didn’t get a nod for the Oscars.
 “I was nominated for the Golden Globe, but they ignored me for the Oscars
because they thought that I had just come off the boat and the streets,” he
said. “Even though I successfully did that, 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 won’t change like that anytime soon,” Hounsou added.
 The Beninese-born actor emigrated to the United States at 23 after
establishing a modeling career in Paris. He appeared in music videos and a
few small parts before his breakout role as Cinqué in “Amistad.” Since then,
he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his roles
in “In America” (2004) and “Blood Diamond” (2007).
 Hounsou has made similar statements before. In March 2023, he told The
Guardian he had “yet to meet the film that paid me fairly.”
 “I still have to prove why I need to get paid,” the actor said at the time.
“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.’”
 “Viola Davis said it beautifully. She’s won an Oscar, she’s won an Emmy,
she’s won a Tony and she still can’t get paid,” he added.

 One of the reasons he’s not making as much as others is because he doesn’t
look like Wesley Snipes or Denzel Washington. Better looks sell more tickets
and he cannot say for one second he didn’t realize that.
  On the other side of the coin, if what I’ve read is true, why is it that his
career earnings so far add up to $35Mil but his net worth only $4Mil? No doubt
some is overhead and other expenses, taxes, etc, but what about the rest of
it? How about he cut down on his spending and stop worrying about everyone
else. He has four new projects listed on his IMDb page. He is not being
ignored. His career is progressing as Hollywood careers have always progressed
for people

He's just another whining idiot who:
1. Thinks he's a better actor than he actually is.
2. Thinks he deserves special treatment for being black (*that* is racism!).
3. Is massively greedy.
and
4. Obviously wasted huge piles of money on crap he didn't actually need.
There are many thousands of actors in Hollyweird, let alone the millions of general public, who are worse of then he is. He needs to grow up and get a braincell.   :-\