Before landing a role opposite Tom Hanks in the film Captain Phillips, Barkhad Abdi had never acted. "This was my first time acting, or even thinking about acting," Abdi tells NPR's Arun Rath. Captain Phillips is based on a true story: the hijacking of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama. Hanks stars as the title character, Capt. Richard Phillips, and Adbi plays Muse, the man who leads the charge against ship and crew. Abdi was born in Somalia and lived there until he was 7. At 14, Abdi moved from Yemen to Minneapolis, Minn., which is home to tens of thousands of Somalis. He learned about the role from a local TV ad. He says close to 800 people were at the audition. After a long day of waiting, he was asked a few questions and finally was handed a script for the character Muse. Though some people in his life were worried about how the film would portray Somalia, Abdi says he had to take the opportunity. "I knew it was a true story, so it was just a chance that I could take," he says. "I hope people understand the culture clash between these very, very different characters, Capt. Phillips and Muse," Abdi says. "One had just, the normal life, you know, he went to school, college, graduated, family, and now he [has] a job. And the other one is just someone that grew up in a war-torn country, that had no hope, no school, no job, no government, nothing."
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