– Somalia
When Captain Phillips was released in 2013, Somalian actor Barkhad Abdi shocked the world with his powerful acting. Starring alongside Tom Hanks, he was an outstanding act— especially with the famous line:
“Look at me. I’m the captain now.”
What most didn’t know is that Abdi had never acted before. He early life was juggling between small jobs in Minneapolis — driving limousines and helping in his family’s mobile phone shop till one day, he tried out for a local casting call and was chosen from over a thousand Somali Americans.
People thought fame would make him rich, but the truth was very different. Having earned $65,000 for the movie. After taxes and fees, almost nothing was left. This is a normal cycle for New actors in Hollywood; that rarely make big money, even if they taste fame overnight.
Even after winning awards from BAFTA and many critics’ groups, his life stayed simple.
When the movie buzz ended, he went back to Minneapolis and worked again in a phone store — while the world kept repeating his iconic line.
Behind the glamor, the world didn’t know how during the Oscars, he couldn’t afford fancy suits, so the studios had to lend him clothes because he didn’t have the money to buy any.
Barkhad’s debut in CAPTAIN PHILLIPS was a raw performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA win and an assumed permanent place in film history, joining a very small list of actors who were nominated for their debut performances, including Lupita Nyong’o (12 YEARS A SLAVE), Gabourey Sidibe (PRECIOUS), and Haing S. Ngor (THE KILLING FIELDS).
He also starred in Extortion(2017), another blockbuster film Directed by: Phil Volken, where he was casted alongside lead starts; Eion Bailey, Danny Glover and Bethany Joy Lenz.
Barkhad Abdi’s journey shows a hidden truth about Hollywood: You can give a performance the whole world remembers, but still return to a normal life once the cameras stop.
He isn’t the first through this!
