“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 dont 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 left Somalia when I was seven years old, but I witnessed a whole year in a war.

The line was originally, ‘Captain Phillips, get a load of me: fancy-free on the seven seas,’ but I ad-libbed.

It is weird. A lot of people try to ask me political questions. Im not a politician.

What I believe will make my acting career successful going forward is hard work. I like to challenge myself. Then it’s the people I meet and choosing the projects I want to work on correctly. There’s a lot of characters I can play.

When you work with a great director, you realise you are far from being a director.

I just want to keep acting and better my craft and see how far it goes.

During the first 10 years of my life, while my parents were married, I enjoyed a privileged upbringing. After their divorce, my life was difficult.

The streets was basically my parents.

Parents should watch what their children watch and not use TV as a babysitter. If a show is objectionable they should turn it OFF. They should write the president of the network and tell him they are never going to watch that program again and why.

Certainly my parents were Dr. [Benjamin] Spock-driven parents. So they were tolerant.

My parents were divorced when I was young. I was really brought up by my mother’s side of the family.

Some parents believe that competition helps prepare children to succeed. Others fear that their children will not be able to handle failure.

The moments that you share with a person do not stop when that person is not in your life anymore.

Im so ahead of my time my parents havent met yet