Barkhad Abdi is a Somali-American actor who gained the limelight through his debut film in the entertainment industry. He made his debut in 2013 by portraying the role of Somali pirate Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, aka Muse, in the critically acclaimed movie Captain Phillips.
For his performance in the biographical drama film, he received a British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Not only that, but he earned nominations at Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.
Following his breakthrough, he appeared in several movies and TV shows, including Hawaii Five-0, Eye in the Sky, The Brothers Grimsby, The Pirates of Somalia, Blade Runner 2049, A Girl from Mogadishu, and Castle Rock.
His most recent works in the entertainment industry – 2020 onwards – are a movie called Beneath a Sea of Lights and a TV series titled Blade Runner: Black Lotus.
Although he has appeared in several movies and TV shows after bursting into the limelight, he hasn’t been that consistent and delivers one or two films a year — the highest was five acting projects in 2017.
Barkhad Abdi gained fame for his role in ‘Captain Phillips’ (Photo: Twitter)
Additionally, there hasn’t been much activity on the only two social media platforms Adbi uses – Instagram and Twitter. As a result, fans of the talented actor have been left to wonder to ask one question, that is:
Where is Barkhad Abdi now?
For those who have been wondering, Abdi is still working as an actor. He currently has two acting gigs lined up for this year – both of them are movies.
Based on their release date, the first on the list of his upcoming movies is Tyson’s Run starring Major Dodson, Amy Smart, Rory Cochrane, and others. In this movie, he plays the role of Aklilu.
Tyson’s Run was released in select theaters on March 4, 2022, and has a theatrical release of March 11, 2022, in the United States.
As for his second upcoming movie, it is an action-thriller movie titled Agent Game starring Mel Gibson, Adan Canto, Jason Isaacs, Dermot Mulroney, and Katie Cassidy. In this film, he portrays the role of Omar.
The movie’s official trailer was released recently, on March 8, 2022, and has received a good response from the audience. Agent Game is currently scheduled to release on April 8, 2022.
Coming back to Abdi not being active on social media platforms, the actor has been the same since the start. It seems like he is not an avid social media user and only uses it in his free time or to give updates on his upcoming works.
His last post on Instagram was on September 11, 2021, when he shared a tribute post to the late American actor Michael Kenneth Williams. Similarly, his latest tweet on Twitter was on March 8, 2022, when he shared the trailer of Agent Game.
Considering all that, it looks like Abdi has been doing just fine and is keeping himself out of his limelight for the time being. But with two upcoming movies lined up, it’s for sure that the actor will be back in public soon enough.
Barkhad Abdi’s life before gaining fame
Born on April 10, 1985, Abdi was initially raised in his birthplace of Mogadishu, Banaadir, Somalia. Recalling the hometown of his early childhood with The Daily Beast, he said:
“It was a very peaceful place. Everyone loved each other, everyone was a neighbour, there was a community.”
Barkhad Abdi with the director of ‘Eye in the Sky,’ Gavin Hood (Photo: Twitter)
However, when he was six, in 1991, a civil war broke out in Somalia, and everything “turned overnight to chaos, killing, and guns. It was a very scary time for me and my family.”
One year later, he and his family eventually fled for Yemen. Then, at the age of 14, they emigrated to the United States and settled down near Minneapolis.
Fast forward to 2011, he was working as a limousine driver in Minnesota, and he learned that there was an open casting call for Captain Phillips. So, he went there and auditioned, although he had never acted before.
Fortunately, he was selected and cast as Abduwali Muse — the leader of the pirates who hijacked a US cargo ship in 2009. For that role, he was paid $65,000, a little over the mandated Screen Actors Guild (SAG) minimum wage of $60,000 for a feature film.
After completing the filming of the movie, he went back to Minneapolis and started working at his brother’s mobile phone shop. When Captain Phillips got released, the film and Abdi’s performance was loved by many.
Around the same time, he moved to Los Angeles with his friend Faysal Ahmed – from Minnesota who was also in Captain Phillips – to pursue a career in acting. But, although he received widespread fame, he was still struggling to support himself financially.
Nonetheless, when he began to get cast in several movies and TV shows, his financial condition improved. However, it seems like his financial situation hasn’t improved by a big number as Celebrity Net Worth has estimated his net worth to be around $100,000.
