Gladiator actor Djimon Hounsou said he’s”struggling financially to make a living” despite having been nominated for two Oscars: “I’m definitely underpaid.”

Djimon Hounsou is getting candid about his finances as a working actor.

“I’ve been in this business and making films now over two decades,” he told CNN‘s Larry Madowo in a recent interview. “And still—with two Oscar nominations and been in many big blockbuster films—and yet I’m still struggling financially to make a living.”

He added, “I’m definitely underpaid.”

However, the 60-year-old noted that African representation in the industry has changed “quite a bit” since he first started his career in the ’90s.

“When I came out with Amistad, I was nominated for a Golden Globe,” Hounsou said, “but they ignored me for the Oscars, talking about the fact that they thought that I had just came off the boat and off the streets where Steven Spielberg used me for this film.”

And while Hounsou went on to earn Oscar nominations for his performance in 2004’s In America and 2007’s Blood Diamonds, he felt like many didn’t treat him as “an actor for whom we should pay any respect to” despite his accomplishments.

“That’s a sign for you, that systemic racism is not something that you can deal with lightly,” he shared, while reflecting on his current struggles as a working actor. “It’s so deep inserted in so many things that we do across the board and you don’t overcome it.”

Still, Hounsou has no regrets about his choice of profession. In fact, he has hope the industry will change in its approach to African representation for the better.

“I came to California with this compelling need to do something for my continent and do something for my people in general,” he added. “I just hope that I have contributed to change the narrative about our people and the continent.”

For a in-depth look at how much money others in Hollywood make, read on.

Sophie Rain

JoJo Siwa 

The Dance Moms alum revealed that she made “six digits a month, easy” on YouTube videos as a 13-year-old. She added in the 2024 documentary Child Star that she now posts up to 300 times a day on Snapchat as part of her influencing career.

Chris Olsen

The TikToker revealed he has a net worth of over seven figures.

“You guys can keep calling me annoying,” he quipped in a July 2024 video. “Being annoying has made me a millionaire.”

Jeffree Star

The makeup artist revealed he earns $50,000 when he hosts a TikTok live—which he does four or five times a week—through selling cosmetics and gifting from fans.

“I’ll make bacon in the morning and make $50,000,” Jeffree told the Cancelled podcast in November 2024. “There’s some times where I don’t sell at all, and I’ll just make bacon in my kitchen, in my bathrobe, in my little slippers, we’ll just hang out and I’ll just chat and I’ll do a Q&A.”

Other times, he’s making bank by offering discounts on his own branded makeup products.

“It’s a niche market but it’s massive,” he added. “We’re the No. 1 or 2 beauty store.”

Lily Phillips

The OnlyFans model—who made headlines in December 2024 for sleeping with 101 men in one day—told E! News that she earns a “good amount” off of creating NSFW content on the subscription-based platform.

As for a ballpark figure, she said, “Oh, we’re in the millions.”

Markell Washington

Markell—known for his dance videos—told Salary Transparency Street in 2023 that he earns between $500,000 and $700,000 a year, mostly from brand deals and Snapchat’s mid-roll program.

Deepti Vempati and Natalie Lee

After appearing on Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind in 2022, the pair pivoted to social media stardom and said they each made $500,000 in less than two years as influencers.

Julia

The ASMR influencer—known as @itsblitzzz on YouTube —admitted in January 2024 that she scores about $56,400 a year on ad revenue from old videos, without creating new content.

King Caitlin ASMR

Makayla Samountry

The Minnesota YouTuber made over $193,000 on the adult platform OnlyFans from January 2020 to December 2022, she shared in a Medium article.

Morgan Presley

As explained on The Really Good Podcast in 2023, the content creator has scored $50,000 on a single sponsored video.

Gigi Robinson

The chronic illness advocate told Salary Transparency Street in 2023 that she earns about $150,000 a year with less than 40,000 Instagram followers.

Ben Brainard

Kamillah Rae

The YouTuber shared that she made $4,746.94 from monetization on the platform from August 2023 to January 2024 (from a total of 923,700 video views), with under 30,000 subscribers.

Source: www.eonline.com