Barkhad Abdi of “Captain Phillips” fame has been in the radar of the press for some of his mishaps. A recent article on Abdi revealed that the Somali was struggling despite the glare and glamour of the entertainment press when he was doing publicity rounds for “Captain Phillips” and attending award shows for his nomination, including the Best Supporting Actor nomination he received at the Oscars.

Another news article revealed that he had to deal with immigration issues because of previous arrests.

But despite all the jeers and negatives, it seems that the breakaway star is gaining notable recognition beyond the “Captain Phillips” film. Earlier this year, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for Adeso, a humanitarian and development organization committed to Africa. “He will highlight issues that affect Somali youth and other marginalized groups, including remittances and illegal fishing, and help garner support for initiatives that address these issues,” reports Hiraan.com.

Aside from having this kind of reception, the Minnesota resident has bagged three projects, including a role in a star-studded thriller.

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."

The world of show business can be a very difficult town for any aspiring actor and the difficulties could be greater for first-timers.

Would Abdi’s winning streak in Hollywood continue? If so, then the actor’s story could be a Hollywood fairy tale come true.