Djimon Hounsou gripes about son wanting to be ‘light-skinned’
Djimon Hounsou spoke about the importance of diversity in showing our kids that they can be heroes too.
Djimon Hounsou plays Chief Mbonga in The Legend of Tarzan, which is set almost exclusively in Africa. And in an interview promoting his new blockbuster, Hounsou also spoke to the importance of other blockbusters, especially heroic stories like the superhero movies filling our film screens lately.
Hounsou, who voiced the Black Panther in the animated series about the Marvel superhero, spoke about the importance of diversity in showing our kids that they can be heroes too. When asked about the fact that Marvel has both the Black Panther and Luke Cage getting fans excited, he said:
“It’s about time! It’s absolutely great news to have a hero that black folks can identify with. 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.”
