“kept down by systemic racism,” Djimon Hounsou “struggles to make a living”

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of actors that are really good who are only ever in a couple of movies and have a hard time getting roles.

Would you go see a movie just because he’s in it? Me neither.

Would I go see a movie because Denzel Washington is in it? Definitely.

Which one deserves to be paid more?

Is that racist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, not buying it. If he wants to separate from his $2 million net worth, I'm open to helping him out, meaning I'll take it! Little sick of the racism headline, as are many others. I know plenty of not black people who have roommates as adults, don't have a two million net worth and don't make a particularly generous amount of money with there chose profession. They don't stand up and cry sexism, racism or whatever the word of the day is, they live their lives and enjoy themselves. He might want to take a page out of their books. I do hope no one takes the bate and offers him a ridiculous amount for a new role. How would that be fair to other actors, regardless of the skin color.

Lol "I hope no one takes the bate[sic] and offers him a ridiculous amount for a new role."

Yes, the classic bait of hiring a ridiculously talented actor who has a proven track record of carrying films, has worked well with directors like Spielberg, Edward Zwick, Jim Sheridan. Oh no, don't let them get taken in.

The irony here is that because Hounsou, like most black actors, is perennially underpaid compared to white actors of a similar reputation, you can pretty much always get him for less than you would a white actor. Hounsou was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1998 for Amistad. Let's look at the other actors nominated that year and their current salaries on movies, shall we?

Leonardo DiCaprio (nominated for Titanic) -- now earns $10-30m per movie plus usually backend, has his pick of roles

Matt Damon (nominated for Good Will Hunting) -- he earned $25m for the Martian, also gets backend, major force in producing and a lot of control over his career

Daniel Day-Lewis (nominated for the Boxer) -- harder to ascertain, he's a special case. I can't find his payday for Lincoln, which is the last big budget movie he made but it's estimated at $6-8m. His net worth is estimated at $50m (grain of salt) and he doesn't work a lot anymore and when he does makes smaller movies. But even that is privilege. He can disappear for years and then pop up and make a movie like The Phantom Thread and get nominated for another Oscar (he's already won two).

Peter Fonda (nominated and won for Ulee's Gold) -- not a good comparison because he was at the end of his career when he made this movie. But he was also born to Hollywood royalty (dad was one of the most famous actors of all time) and never wanted for money. He also didn't have to compete that hard for roles early in his career. He got cast in a lot of things because he knew the director or producer and his last name was Fonda. Doesn't mean he wasn't a good actor -- he was great. But does mean that he had it easier than Hounsou who is also a great actor and has had none of the benefits of being born into the business.

I'm sure you do wish Hounsou would just give you the money he's earned in his 20 year acting career. But he earned it and a lot more, yet still struggles for roles. When you look at how his white peers have done in the same time, it's hard not to see that as a result of systemic racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the wording is wrong - he struggles to get work probably, and to get paid an appropriate amount for the work he does get. Also, keep in mind that black actors often have additional expenses white actors don't have. I watched a roundtable panel of black actors talking about how there's no-one on crew who knows how to style black hair or can't do it without damaging it, and they often had to go to a nearby barber or salon that has stylists that can cater to black hair. That's an expense white people don't have.

But if you have $4M and can't figure out how to invest in a way to live off that interest, you're doing something wrong. Again, I don't think that's what he means.

You really don't think they can't submit those expenses? Give me a break.

DP and it's not just about the expense. Imagine having to leave a set and find a barber who can style your hair for a role, explain to them what is needed for the role, etc. Versus a white actor who can just pop over to the hair and makeup trailer and have someone who is an expert at doing this kind of thing for film do their hair without having to oversee the whole process. The white actor can run lines, focus on internal character work, get into the proper headspace for the scene. The black actor meanwhile is in an uber coming back from the barber worrying about being late and then criticized for not taking their job seriously even though they are going above and beyond to ensure they look right on film.

It's also a well known fact that black actors are often poorly lit in films and tv because a lot of lighting directors have insufficient understanding of how to light them. I remember Issa Rae talking about this and how they hired a lighting director with a lot of experience in this area an that's why all the black actors on Insecure looked so good. Imagine putting tons of effort into your acting and performance and then you see the movie and your facial expressions aren't as visible as those of the white actors because you are poorly lit? Or think about how that can impact your viability for a role that has neutral race casting in theory -- to what degree does the preference for lighting lighter skinned actors impact a director who just doesn't want to deal with the trouble of lighting someone with darker skin? Think about how stupid it is in 2025 that there would still be people claiming it's too hard to light an actor with dark skin on a movie. This is pure racism but it's also accepted in the industry like "oh yeah everyone knows it's really hard to light a black actor, should we hire Viola Davis for this?" It's idiocy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of actors that are really good who are only ever in a couple of movies and have a hard time getting roles.

Would you go see a movie just because he’s in it? Me neither.

Would I go see a movie because Denzel Washington is in it? Definitely.

Which one deserves to be paid more?

Is that racist?

I have been persuaded to see a movie because Djimon Hounsou was in it. He is a very high caliber actor and his involvement in a movie indicates to me that it's going to be higher quality. My spouse feels the same way.

Also your reference to Denzel is funny to me because Hounsou was in the original Gladiator movie and was one of the best things about it, and Denzel is in Gladiator II and is also one of the best things about it but in a totally different way (Hounsou turned in a better and more naturalistic performance in the original movie which featured a lot of bad acting, Denzel turned in a scenery-chewing over-acting performance in Gladiator II among a lot of more subtle actors but it was an absurd movie so his hamming it up actually helped the movie to work).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gmab. He is doing far better than the vast majority of actors. Would love to see where he lives, what kind of car he drives etc.

But he's also heralded as a great actor. Most actors don't have multiple golden globe nominations nor have they had lead roles in films that have made as much money has his movies, or worked with the same caliber of costars or directors.

The point is not that he's struggling as much or more than the average actor. The point is that you would think his success this far would be netting him more roles and opportunities and it's not because the number of roles available for someone with his skin color is very small. Other black actors have talked about this exact issue after getting very high-visibility, prestigious roles in movies and being nominated and getting good reviews. Normally that is a turning point in an actor's career but for black actors it's often not because the opportunities are not there. Women also talk about this after a certain age -- if you are nominated as a 25 year old actress, a Golden Globe can open a lot of doors. For a 40 or 50 year old actress, you will not have the same opportunities.

Whereas for white men in Hollywood, it's a huge door opener. Watch Sebastian Stan, for instance. He's done less that Hounsou but his career is about to skyrocket because now he has one big-budget popcorn movie role under his belt, plus a GG win for a prestigious indy movie role. But there are so many roles out there for middle aged white men. Many multitudes more than there are for middle-age women or black people at any age. Even with the focus on diversity and inclusion the last few years. Minority actors and women have to share a much smaller pie and there is not enough to go around even for just the people at the very top of their field.

Being great or terrible is irrelvant. Actors who producers think will bring in more money at the box office get cast regardless of skill. If you think it's about racism, blame the audience

[Anonymous]

OP I think your quotes are fake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gmab. He is doing far better than the vast majority of actors. Would love to see where he lives, what kind of car he drives etc.

But he's also heralded as a great actor. Most actors don't have multiple golden globe nominations nor have they had lead roles in films that have made as much money has his movies, or worked with the same caliber of costars or directors.

The point is not that he's struggling as much or more than the average actor. The point is that you would think his success this far would be netting him more roles and opportunities and it's not because the number of roles available for someone with his skin color is very small. Other black actors have talked about this exact issue after getting very high-visibility, prestigious roles in movies and being nominated and getting good reviews. Normally that is a turning point in an actor's career but for black actors it's often not because the opportunities are not there. Women also talk about this after a certain age -- if you are nominated as a 25 year old actress, a Golden Globe can open a lot of doors. For a 40 or 50 year old actress, you will not have the same opportunities.

Whereas for white men in Hollywood, it's a huge door opener. Watch Sebastian Stan, for instance. He's done less that Hounsou but his career is about to skyrocket because now he has one big-budget popcorn movie role under his belt, plus a GG win for a prestigious indy movie role. But there are so many roles out there for middle aged white men. Many multitudes more than there are for middle-age women or black people at any age. Even with the focus on diversity and inclusion the last few years. Minority actors and women have to share a much smaller pie and there is not enough to go around even for just the people at the very top of their field.

Being great or terrible is irrelvant. Actors who producers think will bring in more money at the box office get cast regardless of skill. If you think it's about racism, blame the audience

Hollywood has a ton of leeway to sell audiences on an actor they like for whatever reason. Look at someone like Adam Driver, who is weird looking and has a kind of odd style. He's not some classic leading man but he gets work a lot even in big budget films because he's talented and interesting looking. Audiences didn't know they wanted Adam Driver until they got a lot of him, and even now there are people who are like "he's so weird, why is he in so much stuff."

It is not purely driven by audience demand. Directors and producers have enormous power to guide audiences preferences. Hollywood is a manipulative industry by design.

[Anonymous]

Systemic racism? Come on people. No it isn’t. Have you seen all the minority actors on Netflix shows? There’s plenty of work. It’s just there’s more competition for that work than ever before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Racism is absolutely a problem in Hollywood and he brings up many good points that have been brought up before regarding treatment and pay of those who are not White. However, something about that article just felt off to me. They almost made him come across a mix of whiny, angry, and entitled.

Should people feel some other way about racism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is almost certainly underpaid for an actor with his resume and success, especially compared to white actors with similar skills.

Sounds like he needs a better agent to negotiate better fees for him then.

[Anonymous]

I’m going to say the quiet part out loud: he looks too African for a lot of roles and that probably pigeon holds him. He’s not ambiguous enough for sci-fi , not American looking enough for a classic AA film - not even the Tyler Perry style and he gives too foreign for a marvel or Star Wars franchise. So I’m going to indeed blame this on systemic racism. It’s his look - not his acting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is almost certainly underpaid for an actor with his resume and success, especially compared to white actors with similar skills. It is has been well documented that black actors make less than white actors even playing similar roles in similar movies. I think this is especially true for actors considered "serious" because it eliminates some of the bigger money-making options for a black actor. You can't to Amistad and a Tyler Perry movie. But white actors are allowed to move between low comedy and high drama (see, for example, Johan Hill).

When he says he struggles to make a living, he means he is struggling for roles. He is struggling to make a living in his chosen profession, which is film acting. That is valid even if of course he could leave acting and find other ways to make money. But actually, as a black man from West Africa, he would also face discrimination in almost any job he chose to pursue in the US or UK.

He does not say he lives in poverty. But he is very likely underpaid and based on the experiences of other highly successful black actors, it IS a systemic issue that is almost certainly attributable to racism.

Thank you for this TLDR summary for someone like me who saw the headlines about this but didn't read the article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm, lots of actors struggle. The stereotype of the "rich actor" really applies to a very, very select few. I think it's more the norm than the exception

And, more importantly, almost all of the "rich" actors are grossly overpaid given how mucn money movies are losing these days.

Honestly, he is overpaid too. They all.are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the wording is wrong - he struggles to get work probably, and to get paid an appropriate amount for the work he does get. Also, keep in mind that black actors often have additional expenses white actors don't have. I watched a roundtable panel of black actors talking about how there's no-one on crew who knows how to style black hair or can't do it without damaging it, and they often had to go to a nearby barber or salon that has stylists that can cater to black hair. That's an expense white people don't have.

But if you have $4M and can't figure out how to invest in a way to live off that interest, you're doing something wrong. Again, I don't think that's what he means.

You really don't think they can't submit those expenses? Give me a break.

DP and it's not just about the expense. Imagine having to leave a set and find a barber who can style your hair for a role, explain to them what is needed for the role, etc. Versus a white actor who can just pop over to the hair and makeup trailer and have someone who is an expert at doing this kind of thing for film do their hair without having to oversee the whole process. The white actor can run lines, focus on internal character work, get into the proper headspace for the scene. The black actor meanwhile is in an uber coming back from the barber worrying about being late and then criticized for not taking their job seriously even though they are going above and beyond to ensure they look right on film.

It's also a well known fact that black actors are often poorly lit in films and tv because a lot of lighting directors have insufficient understanding of how to light them. I remember Issa Rae talking about this and how they hired a lighting director with a lot of experience in this area an that's why all the black actors on Insecure looked so good. Imagine putting tons of effort into your acting and performance and then you see the movie and your facial expressions aren't as visible as those of the white actors because you are poorly lit? Or think about how that can impact your viability for a role that has neutral race casting in theory -- to what degree does the preference for lighting lighter skinned actors impact a director who just doesn't want to deal with the trouble of lighting someone with darker skin? Think about how stupid it is in 2025 that there would still be people claiming it's too hard to light an actor with dark skin on a movie. This is pure racism but it's also accepted in the industry like "oh yeah everyone knows it's really hard to light a black actor, should we hire Viola Davis for this?" It's idiocy.

Why don't the actors put a proper barber into the contract?

Hollywood is definitely racist, but that one complaint seems like a very easy fix.

If they can write in specific requests down to a certain type of bottle water, surely rhey can write in a proper barber.

[Anonymous]

It's called aging out. He is a Gen X actor who had a prime in the 2000s.

He's also made a ton of really, reallllllllly bad movies.