Barkhad Abdi Captain Phillips: After co-staring with Tom Hanks in the hit movie Captain Philips and gaining an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Barkhad Abdi’s rags-to-riches story had initially taken an abrupt turn back to the rags.

In spite of the movie’s $200 million gross, Abdi only made $65,000 from the film, along with the occasional appearances in its promotion. According to an earlier article in the New Yorker, the Somali actor currently struggling to make ends meet. In fact, it is said that he now relies on borrowed clothes and other help from his friends until he gets another break.

In an interview with CCN’s Poppy Harlow, Abdi said that at that time, he didn't have an agent to help him negotiate his salary.

"It was my first film," he said. "I didn't have many options."

After moving to Hollywood from Minnesota, the Captain Philips actor only way to move around the city was with the help of a Somali cab driver who gives him free rides.

Abdi’s sad story is not really all that rare in Hollywood. There are other tales of a performer getting crumbs after a multimillion-dollar blockbuster. CNN reported Brad Pitt to have received only $6,000 for his debut in the 1991 classic film "Thelma and Louise."

Meanwhile, Jonah Hill, another established actor, also accepted a low talent fee of only $60,000 for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street, one of Captain Philips’ Oscar match-ups.

"I would sell my house and give (director Martin Scorsese) all my money to work for him," Hill said. "This isn't what you make money for; you do '22 Jump Street,' you do other things, to pay your rent. But I would do anything in the world. I would do it again in a second," Hill told CNN.

In Abdi’s case, however, the pay check was not only a career path. It was also his meal ticket. His story drew more attention because of the fact that he is already a struggling actor to begin with.

But news lately on Abdi’s career show that it will not lead to sad ending. He has recently clinched several new project, including one with actor Colin Firth.