Black actors complain about low pay: Nominated twice for Oscars but have a hard time surviving in Hollywood

Djimon Hounsou, a black Hollywood actor who has guest-starred in several Marvel, DC and Netflix films, said that although he has been nominated for two Oscars, it is "still difficult to make a living" in Hollywood.

Hounsou told CNN that despite two Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations ( In America and Blood Diamond) and starring in multiple blockbuster films, he is still "definitely underpaid."

"I'm still struggling to make ends meet," he said. "I've been in the film industry for over 20 years, I've been nominated for two Oscars, I've been in a lot of blockbusters, but I'm still struggling financially. I'm definitely underpaid."

The comments echo what he told The Guardian in 2023, when he said: "I came into this industry at a time when there were people who were very wealthy but who had achieved nowhere near what I had. So I felt ripped off, very ripped off, both financially and in terms of the workload."

The black actor said racism and xenophobia had an impact on his career.

“I’d go into meetings at studios and they’d say, ‘Wow, we felt like you just got off a boat and went back on. We didn’t know you were a real actor. ’ When you hear things like that, you can see that some people have a very limited view of you or what you represent. But that’s the truth. And I needed to change that.”

Hounsou recently starred in A Quiet Place: Day of the Invasion, as well as Netflix's two Moon Rebels movies, the game adaptation Gran Turismo, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Shazam!: Fury of the Titans, Captain Marvel, Furious 7, and many more.