Shazam Star Finally Addresses That 2007 Ugly Oscars Drama With DiCaprio
The actor also accuses Hollywood of "double standards", and claims that he feels "cheated" in terms of finances and workload.
Djimon Hounsou, a Beninese-American actor and model, has starred in many films throughout his career, from classics like Gladiator ( 2000) and Blood Diamond (2006) to appearances in the Marvel and DC Cinematic Universes, even winning two Academy Awards in the Best Supporting Actor category.
His most recent big screen appearance is in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where he reprised his role as the wizard who gave Billy Batson the power of Shazam.
Unfortunately, the actor's career is not going as smoothly as it seems. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the actor talked about the struggles he continues to face in the industry.
"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," Djimon said.
He also commented on the prejudices he encounters:
"I've gone to studios for meetings and they're like: 'Wow, we felt like you just got off the boat and then went back. We didn't know you were here as a true actor.'
When you hear things like that, you can see that some people's vision of you, or what you represent, is very limiting. But it is what it is. It's up to me to redeem that."
Among other things, he addressed the situation surrounding Blood Diamond (2006), in which he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category, even though the film was centered on his character's story, while Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for Best Actor, despite playing a supporting role.
"I felt seriously cheated, [...] It felt like: 'You should be happy that you've got nominated,' and that's that," said the actor.
In the comments sections, fans are expressing their support for the actor and agreeing on the unfairness of the situation.
"That's a damn shame. He absolutely deserves to be paid and paid well. He's definitely an actor whose participation in a project positively influences my willingness to see it. He's 60% of why I'm going to watch the new Shazam," Reddit user ronearc pointed out.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods was released last week and is currently in theaters.