SUBMITTED BY Timbo

December 3, 2003 — The New York Times recently talked to Djimon Hounsou, one of the stars of the critically praised "In America".

After nearly a decade of racking up bit but memorable parts in movies like "Gladiator" and "The Four Feathers," this 6-foot-4-inch actor had landed his biggest and meatiest role as Mateo, a tortured African artist dying of AIDS. It is a role that appears tailor-made for Mr. Hounsou, 39, whose name is pronounced JY-mun HOON-soo.

Like the family featured in "In America," he immigrated to the United States looking for a better life. "The essence of the story is very close to the way I came to this country, in search of quote unquote the American dream," said Mr. Hounsou, who comes from Benin in West Africa. "America, land of freedom, a place where everything's possible, the land of justice. We thought that everyone in America was rich to some extent. You rarely see the real America watching television and movies. You always see the make-believe."

To get into character, Mr. Hounsou, the epitome of a healthy, strapping man, dropped nearly 30 pounds. "I ate very little during the day, and at night I had a steak of tuna," he recalled over a plate of chicken skewers growing cold at a Midtown Manhattan restaurant.

As in many previous roles, Mr. Hounsou's bare chest figures prominently in the new film. Long, concentrated shots take in his glistening pecs; his biceps appear to have a heartbeat of their own. It was Mr. Hounsou's striking physicality that helped him land the part, Mr. Sheridan said.

Read the article at the link below.