‘Captain Phillips’ Oscar Nominee Barkhad Abdi Is Broke

[Remy Danton]

Barkhad Abdi is in the running for Oscar gold Sunday, but actual wealth eludes him.

Abdi has been widely praised for his role in “Captain Phillips” as the desperate pirate Muse, and even ad-libbed the film’s signature line: “I’m the captain now.” But a New Yorker story reveals that he is now struggling to support himself.

“When Abdi is in Los Angeles to promote the film, he subsists on a per diem, good at the Beverly Hilton, where the studio likes to put him up. The town car is available only for official publicity events. His clothes are loaners,” reads the article. “Recently Abdi requested that he be allowed to stay at a commuter hotel near LAX to be closer to his friend, a Somali cabdriver from Minneapolis, who shuttles him around for free.”

Also read: ‘Captain Phillips’ Review: Taut Suspense, Iffy Racial Politics, Unfussy Tom Hanks (Video)

Abdi earned $65,000 for his performance in the $55 million film, but that was more than two years ago. And even with an Oscar nomination, there’s no guarantee of his future earning potential as an actor. Abdi already won a BAFTA for best supporting actor, and is now reading scripts in search of his next role.

Also read: ‘Captain Phillips’ Director Paul Greengrass Explains Why the Closing Scene With Tom Hanks Was So Authentic

After the Oscars, Abdi plans to move to L.A. and live with fellow “Captain Phillips” actor Faysal Ahmed.

Still, his life is better than it might have been. The 28-year-old was six when war broke out in Somalia, and rape and killing suddenly became common. His mother evacuated the family, first to be with Abdi’s father in Yemen, where he was teaching math. Eventually they settled in Minneapolis in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, home to many Somalis.

Also read: Jonah Hill Took $60,000 ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Payday Just to Work With Martin Scorsese

He was working for the limo company when he saw an announcement that a film was looking for actors to play Somali pirates.

After filming “Captain Phillips,” he went to work at his brother’s mobile phone store in Minneapolis. But he decided to quit when the film premiered.

“How I thought about it was, like, When the movie came out, reviews either gonna be good or bad,” he told the New Yorker’s Dana Goodyear. “Either way, I cannot be working here.”

 

[hex]

So why did he quit his job?

Fred.

 

[Remy Danton]

 

[Mr.Black]

stupid black ass should've kept his job, he's a role player at BEST and is lucky to have worked with tom hanks the god

 

[marcuz]

:joel: tariq went in on this dude on his ustream show

 

[ML29]

Should've just stayed at his brother's cell phone store.

 

[Huellz Santana]

@malcolmxxx_45 ​

 

[TRIPLE M]

at best he could get possible rolls on tv shows,as a guest star lie law and order, but he's not going to get any leads

he should be using this 15 min of fame to get all the p*ssy he can get, cuz right now dimes will be spreading eagle for him just because he was nominated

because it will be a wrap for this dude, just like the slum dog kids if he doesn't get lucky

 

[Orbital-Fetus]

dat hairline.

 

[MikelArteta]

The market for rail thin somalo actors are small

 

[CJ]

Sort of have a feeling that he may just end up typecasted to what he did in Captain Phillips.

 

[R.E.N. Spells Ren]

So why did he quit his job?

Fred.

I think the way he was thinking, when the movie came out the reviews would be either good or bad but he couldn't working there.

 

[Slystallion]

The fact that he was nominated for an Oscar means some major agency should be willing to sign him and try to get work for him and send him out on auditions he's been in a major film and got nominated for an Oscar he's miles ahead of most wanna be actors that's for sure he just has to get a normal job that gives him the opportunity to audition for roles

 

[Jone2three45]

:joel: tariq went in on this dude on his ustream show

What he say?

 

[hex]

I think the way he was thinking, when the movie came out the reviews would be either good or bad but he couldn't working there.

Yeah but what does that mean though? I read that part like

Did dude think he'd get mobbed on his job by groupies and fans? You can't pay your bills with an Oscar even if he did win. He should be able to get a SAG card, get an agent, and grind like everyone else, but hold down a 9-5 in case it don't work out. Dude quit his job like off one role.

Fred.