Djimon Hounsou says there’s nothing wrong with co-parenting

Reported by Liku Zelleke

Oscar nominated actor, Djimon Hounsou, is facing a very busy year. Among his expected movie releases are “Guardians Of The Galaxy“, “Seventh Son” and “How To Train Your Dragon 2“.

The first of the films to hit theaters will be DreamWorks’ “How To Train Your Dragon 2“. It is an animation-first for Hounsou and he says he did it for his son, Kenzo Lee, who is 5 years old.

Hounsou, 50, who has been separated from his wife Kimora Lee Simmons since November 2012, says that he takes an active part in his son’s life. In an interview with HipHollywood, he proudly spoke about co-parenting Kenzo and had some advice to offer parents who find that they are in the same position.

“You come to realize that there is nothing wrong with the idea of co-parenting,” Hounsou said, “It’s just much more love that you are pouring into your kid, I think; you know, and just acknowledge that and understand that.”

Hounsou and Simmons first met and started dating in 2007. Simmons, who has two daughters from her previous marriage to Russell Simmons, gave birth to Kenzo in 2009. The couple had never been legally married in the United States. Their union was cemented in a traditional ceremony that took place in Benin, where Hounsou is originally from.

Hounsou and Simmons, a former model, were officially separated in November of 2012 after they had been apart for quite some time.

Hounsou, who usually plays the part of the underdog in his movies, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role as Cinqué in the 1997 Steven Spielberg film “Amistad.” In 2004 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film, “In America.”

His 2006 role in “Blood Diamond” earned him the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and also got him Academy Award nominations.