Barkhad Abdi
Barkhad Abdi
Barkhad Abdiis a Somali-American actor and director. He made his debut in the 2013 film Captain Phillips, for which he received various film award nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the latter of which he won...
NationalitySomali
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth10 April 1985
CityMogadishu, Somalia
acting crafts want
I just want to keep acting and better my craft and see how far it goes.
directors realising
When you work with a great director, you realise you are far from being a director.
sea lines fancy
The line was originally, ‘Captain Phillips, get a load of me: fancy-free on the seven seas,’ but I ad-libbed.
country school parent
I was lucky enough to have parents that took me out from country to country and go to school and learn how to be a better person.
believe character hard-work
What I believe will make my acting career successful going forward is hard work. I like to challenge myself. Then it's the people I meet and choosing the projects I want to work on correctly. There's a lot of characters I can play.
dream dad hard-work
When I was leaving Yemen to come to America, things were tough. My dad had just been laid off, and it was a challenge. When I lived in Yemen, I thought America was a perfect place. Everything was bigger and better. I dreamed big. The American dream, you know? You have to work hard for your dream to come true.
jobs character thinking
I dont see myself only as a Somali character. I think of myself as an actor, and if the job fits me and I like the story, I will go for it.
war years seven
I left Somalia when I was seven years old, but I witnessed a whole year in a war.
people political trying
It is weird. A lot of people try to ask me political questions. Im not a politician.