Djimon Hounsou Says Son Wanted To To Be Light Skinned Because Of Spiderman
Djimon Hounsou recently spoke about the challenges facing Black actors in Hollywood with The Guardian. The actor recently discussed the latest African-American superhero projects after the Netflix premiere of Luke Cage and announcement of Black Panther by Marvel.
Hounsou says a comment by his own son Kenzo made him realize how important representation matters in movies….
Could you imagine my misfortune when my son told me: “I want to be light-skinned so I can climb the walls like Spider-Man” – just because he has seen Spider-Man and Batman and all these superheroes who were all white. The minute he said it, I was like, damn. My whole self was shattered. I was like, wow, what sort of comeback do you have for this? It’s important to recognise yourself. It’s absolutely important. That’s the value in telling stories. There’s a reason why we create fantasy stories, so we can surpass this life condition.
The actor later discussed why Hollywood still has a hard time giving Black actors lead roles:
There certainly hasn’t been that much out there at this point. I haven’t come across many leads in potential blockbusters, but I’m working towards that.
We hope Hounsou’s son and other Black kids see more people who look like them in front and behind the camera for years to come.
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