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Djimon Hounsou believes he missed out on the Oscar for Amistad in 1997 because he feels as if the Academy didn't think they need to "pay him any respect" despite his

performance on screen. Oscar nominated and Gladiator star Djimon Hounsou revealed he is "struggling to make a living" despite his Hollywood success. He believes that he is

"underpaid" by movie heads. Hounsou, 60, started his career more than 30 years ago and received Academy Award nominations for his roles in In America and Blood Diamond. Speaking on

CNN’s African Voices Changemakers, he said, "I’m still struggling to make a living. 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. I’m definitely underpaid." The actor believes he missed out on the Oscar for Amistad in 1997 because he feels as if the

Academy didn't think they need to "pay him any respect" despite his performance on screen, reports femalefirst.co.uk. He said, "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. Even though I successully did that, they just didn’t feel like I was an actor to whom

they should pay any respect. This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism won’t change like that anytime soon." The actor previously claimed that he

still has to "prove" to move executives why he deserves to be paid higher than what is often offered to him. He told The Guardian, "I still have to prove why I need to get

paid. 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. Viola Davis said it

beautifully. She's won an Oscar, she's won an Emmy, she's won a Tony and she still can't get paid." _Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA

staff and is published from IANS_