Shazam! Djimon Hounsou, who starred in Wrath of the Gods and was nominated for two Academy Awards, recently admitted that he struggled to make it in Hollywood.
The actor, who was nominated for an Oscar for his roles in In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), has acknowledged to feeling underappreciated.
Following his recent performance as The Wizard in Shazam! Despite his triumph in Wrath of the Gods, the DC star admitted to feeling “very robbed” by the industry.
“I felt seriously cheated,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.
“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.
Hounsou, who also appears as Korath the Pursuer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stated that he is still struggling to make a living in the industry.
“I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar!” he said.
“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.”
“From time to time, they themselves make the point of saying: ‘We should give him more, he’s a little under appreciated.’ I think they recognize that themselves,” Hounsou continued. “Hey, it’s the struggle I have to overcome!”
Honsou’s disclosures come on the heels of Ke Huy Quan’s historic Oscar win last week.
The Everything, Everything, Everywhere star won a Best Supporting Actor award from the Daniels for his portrayal as Waymond Wang in the film, giving an emotional speech in which he reflected on his career challenges.
Following his triumph as a kid actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Quan’s phone didn’t ring with new, exciting jobs for a spell.
In his acceptance speech, the actor encouraged everyone not to give up on their aspirations and paid tribute to his wife Echo, who remained by him during his career’s lowest days.
“I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife Echo, who month after month, year after year for 20 years told me that one day, my time will come. Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine,” Quan said.