Djimon Hounsou admitted he is ‘struggling to make a living’ in Hollywood despite having decades of acting experience under his belt.

The A Quiet Place star, 60, said he is having a difficult time as a working actor even though he has been twice-nominated for an Oscar and has starred in several blockbuster hit movies.

During a recent appearance on an episode of CNN‘s African Voices Changemakers, he spoke about still being ‘underpaid’ and attributed it to ‘systemic racism’ that prevails in the entertainment industry.

‘I’m still struggling to make a living,’ the Beninese actor — who shares 14-year-old son Kenzo Lee Hounsou with his ex Kimora Lee Simmons — told the outlet.

‘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,’ he revealed.

‘I’m definitely underpaid,’ the Marvel star added.

+8

View gallery

Djimon Hounsou admitted he is ‘struggling to make a living’ in Hollywood despite having decades of acting experience under his belt; pictured June 2024 in New York City

Hounsou also said he believed he was snubbed by the Academy for his breakout role as Cinqué in Steven Spielberg’s 1997 historical drama Amistad, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

‘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 claimed.

‘Even though I successfully did that, they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom they should pay any respect.’

Hounsou said that the entertainment industry still needs to grow more in diversity and inclusion.

‘This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism won’t change like that anytime soon,’ he said.

Nearly two years ago, Hounsou also opened up about not being compensated appropriately in Hollywood.

He said he had ‘yet to meet the film that paid me fairly,’ in a March 2023 conversation with The Guardian.

+8

View gallery

The A Quiet Place star, 60, said he is having a difficult time as a working actor even though he has been twice-nominated for an Oscar and has starred in several blockbuster hit movies; pictured in A Quiet Place: Day One movie still

+8

View gallery

During a recent appearance on an episode of CNN ‘s African Voices Changemakers, he spoke about still being ‘underpaid’ and attributed it to ‘systemic racism’ that prevails in the entertainment industry. ‘I’m still struggling to make a living,’ the Beninese actor said; pictured April 2024 in New York City

‘I still have to prove why I need to get paid,’ he explained.

‘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.”‘

The Gladiator alum referenced EGOT-winner Viola Davis’s past comments about wage discrimination in the industry.

‘Viola Davis said it beautifully,’ Hounsou said. ‘She’s won an Oscar, she’s won an Emmy, she’s won a Tony and she still can’t get paid.’

The Guardians of the Galaxy actor said he was inspired to establish the Djimon Hounsou Foundation with the mission ‘to champion a visceral connection between the countries of the African diaspora and the motherland and to heal the wounds that slavery left behind,’ per the organization’s official website.

+8

View gallery

The Marvel star said he is ‘struggling financially’ and is ‘definitely underpaid’; pictured in 2000 Gladiator movie still alongside Russell Crowe

+8

View gallery

Hounsou also said he believed he was snubbed by the Academy for his breakout role as Cinqué in Steven Spielberg’s 1997 historical drama Amistad, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination; pictured December 2021 in New York City

+8

View gallery

Hounsou said that the entertainment industry still needs to grow more in diversity and inclusion; pictured in 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy movie still

+8

View gallery

‘My acting work really opened my eyes,’ the Marvel star told CNN; pictured in Blood Diamond movie still

‘My acting work really opened my eyes,’ the Marvel star told CNN.

‘As I was doing research for the film, I became profoundly aware of the disconnect between Afro-descendants from their roots and culture,’ he explained. ‘Because when you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know who you are.’

He continued: ‘I had this compelling need to do something for my people for my continent, and that was really what compelled me to start my [foundation] so many years later.’

Hounsou shared, ‘One of the attributes of the foundation is Africa reconnect. It’s to strengthen Africa’s intergenerational identity and self-awareness by bringing the people — by reconnecting the people — of the African diaspora to the motherland. To their history.’