“I definitely would have gotten an Oscar”: Djimon Hounsou Feels 1 Steven Spielberg Movie Was Released Too Early That Made Director Lose His Family

In the vast realm of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg is an exemplary filmmaker who is never afraid to break the boundaries of conventional filmmaking. Using his singular talent, the director has crafted several impeccable features and movies that continue to resonate and entertain the masses. Yet, the director has had more than a few hit-and-misses and underrated films.

One of his movies, the 1997 Oscar-nominated classic Amistad not only made his family walk out of the film but also seems to have been released way too early. As per the lead, Djimon Hounsou, not only was the movie ahead of its time but the audience and critical reaction to him would have been way different today.

Djimon Hounsou on Steven Spielberg’s Underrated Classic, Amistad

Djimon Hounsou has been part of several acclaimed and successful films and is among the few actors who have dabbled with both the MCU and the DC universe. Over the years, he has played a variety of roles in a variety of movies. From becoming the first Black African actor to be nominated for an Oscar to being part of multiple critically revered movies and working with multiple distinguished filmmakers, Hounsou has come a long, long way.

Yet, he feels he would have achieved more had it been a more free, open, and acceptable world. Speaking about how Black and POC actors are often subjected to unjust bargains, the actor spoke deeply about facing racism and struggling to make ends meet in his interview with The Guardian.

But he also spoke about his experience of landing the main role in Amistad, a film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring the likes of Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, and Anthony Hopkins. Talking about the movie, he spoke about how infuriating he felt when the movie received four Academy Awards, but he received none.

 Maybe I was early. If my movies had come out today, I definitely would have gotten an Oscar already.

Stating that he felt cheated, Hounsou would later get two Oscar nominations. But still, the actor feels that had Amistad or any of his movies been released now, he would have been far ahead in his career and not struggling to make ends meet today.

Steven Spielberg’s Amistad Made His Family Walk Out of The Theatre

Steven Spielberg’s Amistad was a historical drama film that was based on the events of the Spanish Slave ship called La Amistad in 1839. The movie was critically well-received based on real-life events that followed a lengthy legal battle in the US Supreme Court, yet it has remained an underrated classic of Spielberg’s career.

Despite the movie getting several accolades and nominations, including four Academy Award nominations, Amistad was the film that caused Spielberg to lose his family. While talking to Robert Ebert in an old interview, the Oscar-winning director remarked,

They walked out of Amistad. I lost my whole family. All my young kids, you know. I wouldn’t ever show them the middle passage and I didn’t let them see the very beginning and they were bored by the legal stuff. They left.

While the reason for his near and dear ones walking out of the movie was because Spielberg wouldn’t let them see the whole movie, the film nonetheless was not made for children.

And so, in an industry that continues to evolve, the significance of films like Amistad and the voices of talents like Djimon Hounsou are now getting recognized more than ever today. As one looks back on such a pivotal film, it’s clear the movie is now, despite being underrated, a timeless and important work of cinema.

Amistad can be rented on Apple TV.