Barkhad Abdi would be richer than he was after Captain Phillips if he had a dollar for everyone who recognized his ‘I’m the captain now’ line.
In the 2013 film, the actor played the character Muse alongside Tom Hanks, who retold the tale of the 2009 hijacking of a ship by Somali pirates. BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated for his performance, he was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor, but his salary hadn’t reflected his talent as much as his accolades.
An open casting call at the local community center led Abdi to be cast in the movie in a 2014 interview with the New Yorker. After the audition, he traveled to Los Angeles and learned he had been cast during lunch with director Paul Greengrass.
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As Abdi recalled: “He was saying, ‘All you guys in the movie!'” It’s time to become pirates. Actors are not what I am looking for.” Having previously claimed to have many talents in order to land the role, Abdi proved he was an impressive first-time actor by improvising the iconic line ‘I’m the captain now’ and learning to swim and shoot for the part.
Barkhad Abdi
While Abdi put in a lot of effort, he only received $65,000 (£57,600). Captain Phillips, by comparison, cost $55 million (£48.7m). After filming on the project ended, Abdi went back to work for his brother selling mobile phones in Cedar-Riverside’s Somali-run mall. According to him, “I thought it would be either good or bad reviews when the movie came out.” Regardless, I cannot work here.”
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As he promoted Captain Phillips, Abdi relied on a per diem from the studio, a town car that was only available for official events, and clothes that had been loaned to him. “I never pictured myself becoming a famous person. I like the essence of filmmaking and storytelling. The fame part, I’m just taking it easy.” Abdi told ABC News after the film’s release.
