When I was leaving Yemen to come to America, things were tough. My dad had just been laid off, and it was a challenge. When I lived in Yemen, I thought America was a perfect place. Everything was bigger and better. I dreamed big. The American dream, you know? You have to work hard for your dream to come true.
More Quotes by Barkhad Abdi
I used to play football all the time. In the U.S., people don't play football, so I had to learn basketball. Looking back, that's what I like about my life - doing new things, having a new perspective.
It is weird. A lot of people try to ask me political questions. I'm not a politician.
I don't see myself only as a Somali character. I think of myself as an actor, and if the job fits me and I like the story, I will go for it.
I was lucky enough to have parents that took me out from country to country and go to school and learn how to be a better person.
I left Somalia when I was seven years old, but I witnessed a whole year in a war.
When you work with a great director, you realise you are far from being a director.