Barkhad Abdi of “Captain Phillips” fame has an inspiring story to tell, at least from the
onset. As the narrative of his tale has been published in tabloids, newspapers, blogs
and other media outlets all over the world, Abdi rose from being a limousine driver to
sharing the silver screen with Tom Hanks in the blockbuster and Oscar-nominated film.

An article earlier this year on his “small salary” for his role in “Captain Phillips” has
sparked discussions on talent fees but a CNN report noted that such payment schemes
is not uncommon for first-time actors in Hollywood.

IndieWire noted that the BAFTA-winner was believed to not find much work in Hollywood after his big screen debut, but so far he has been defying the odds. Today, Abdi has three projects under his belt including a confirmed casting in the military drone thriller “Eye in the Sky” co-starring Colin Firth and to be directed by Oscar-winning South African director Gavin Hood.

In recent months, reports of the 31-year-old actor, who was nominated for his role in
“Captain Phillips” as Somali pirate leader Abduwali Muse, made headlines. A March 2014 New Yorker article noted that he was having difficulty making ends meet and that the $65,000 he was paid for two years ago for his Academy Award-nominated role is all used up.

Comments poured on the seemingly paltry salary of the new actor, whose appearance in “Captain Phillips” was his first role. He didn’t have an agent then to negotiate his talent fee (he has one now).

A CNN report featured last March noted that a small payment for a performer in a multimillion-dollar blockbuster is not rare for a first-time actor. Brad Pitt was only paid $6,000 for his breakout role in the 1991 film “Thelma and Louise.”

There have also been a few more established actors who have chosen to forgo big paychecks in order to participate in a project, notes the CNN article. Jonah Hill has accepted a paycheck of only $6,000 for his recent role in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

“I would sell my house and give (director Martin Scorsese) all my money to work with him,” Hill said, as quoted by CNN.

“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.”

The exposed financial struggle of Abdi may have drawn so much attention because of his struggle in the story.

According to CNN, the Somali actor left his country as a youngster with his family and settled in Yemen. A few years later, they immigrated to the United States, where they joined a large community of Somalis in Minneapolis.

Abdi was a driver for his brother’s limousine company when he answered a casting call for Somali actors for the “Captain Phillips” movie.

In the New York article, it noted that he’s now planning to move to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. The report said that while he was in Los Angeles to do publicity for the film, "His clothes are loaners. Recently Abdi requested that he be allowed to stay at a commuter's hotel near LAX, to be closer to his friend, a Somali cabdriver from Minneapolis, who shuttles him around for free."

Hollywood can be a very difficult town for any aspiring actor and the difficulties could be greater for first-timers.