SOMALIAN CAB DRIVER BARKHAD ABDI DEBUTS AS A PIRATE IN CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Somalian native Barkhad Abdi, 28, was living in Minneapolis,Minnesota as a cab driver when fate shined on him as he was chosen for a role as one of 'Muse' the pirate ringleader in the hijacking of the US cargo ship called the Maersk Alabama in 2009. 
The  open casting call in 2011  was aired on a local TV channel and according to Barkhad,he decided to give it a shot.So I go there to give it a shot, there were a lot of people there the first time," according to Abdi. "They asked me simple questions like 'what's your name?' and 'where were you born?'"

A few more rounds of auditions later and the Somali-born Abdi landed the role of "Muse," the pirate ringleader in the Tom Hanks-starring film out Friday.The Paul Greengrass-directed film is the true story of Somali pirates who hijacked the U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, and held its captain hostage in 2009.Director Paul Greengrass, Barkhad Abdi, and Tom Hanks attend the official Academy members screening of 'Captain Phillips' this week in NYC.