Oscar Nominee Barkhad Abdi News: Bafta-winning Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi is set to join Trainwreck, Judy Apatows new comedy together with Amy Schumer, who wrote the script and has been cast in the lead role. According to The Guardian, Plot details of Trainwreck, which would mark Apatows first directorial outing since This is 40, have not been released, but Slashfilm reports it concerns a basket case (Schumer) trying to regain control of her life. Other key characters in the film include the womans boyfriend, her best friend/co-worker, and her parent. Tilda Swinton is also being sought for a role Abdi bagged the best supporting actor Bafta for Captain Phillips, where he played young Somali hijacker Muse. His performance in the film also earned an Oscar nomination. Trainwreck will represent his first major role after the awards. Abdi admitted recently that he has been struggling to get by after giving up his job as a limo driver to become a full-time actor, The Guardian stated. To quote from the report Abdi was paid $65,000 two years ago for his role in Paul Greengrasss true life thriller. Despite having been put up by studio Sony at the plush Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, he has been living day to day on expenses and wore borrowed clothes for a number of awards season functions. A taxi driver friend from Minneapolis, where Abdis family settled at the turn of the century after emigrating from Somalia, has been driving him to events for free. Abdis struggle to get by led him to return to a job selling mobile phones for his brother in Minneapolis immediately after Captain Phillips wrapped, as reported by The Guardian. Captain Phillips was nominated for a total of six Oscars, including best film, but did not take any prizes at the 86th Academy Awards Ceremony. It has so far made more than $217m at the box office against a budget of $55m. Abdi was stopped by immigration officials returning to the U.S. last month after traveling to London to receive the BAFTA the best supporting actor award. As quoted from Daily Mail, The Somali-born actor who made his first film appearance as a pirate involved in the 2009 hijacking of the Mearsk Alabama, was flagged for his criminal history including arrests for drug possession and credit card fraud. Abdi, a permanent resident of the U.S., now faces a hearing with Customs and Border protection this week that carries the possibility of deportation, a source told the Star Tribune. However, that same source said it was unlikely 28-year-old Abdi would actually be deported since customs officials usually only do that in the most serious cases.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:47:41 +0000