Mpls. Somali-American actor in 'Captain Phillips' nominated for SAG award

A Minneapolis man was among those nominated Wednesday morning for a Screen Actors Guild award.

In his first acting role, Barkhad Abdi played the lead pirate who took over a ship in the movie "Captain Phillips" starring Tom Hanks.

Abdi was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

"I don't know how to thank them," Abdi told the Huffington Post. "It's really an honor. I was not expecting it, honestly, but I'm so happy about it."

In all, four Minneapolis men were cast in the movie as a Somali gang of pirates who board a U.S. container ship and take its skipper hostage.

Earlier this year, he spoke with MPR's Euan Kerr earlier this year about local reaction:

Abdi said there is great excitement over the film in the Somali community in Minneapolis, but he admits to a certain amount of wariness. The community has dealt with a lot of bad news in recent years, and he doesn't want to add to the discomfort with the story of the Somali pirates.

"Everybody knows the story of what happened," he said. "They understand how desperate these guys are, and what they are doing is wrong."

But Abdi said he and his friends know a lot of people in Minneapolis, and they hope they will appreciate the film.