Rhino takes care of business for Idris

FORMER TV Gladiator Mark ‘Rhino’ Smith has just spent 11 days playing a Caribbean gangsta after being summoned by Idris Elba.

The London-born actor (above right) was cast by Elba (left) — making his directorial debut — to play drug kingpin Raggz in the film version of Victor Headley’s novel, Yardie — about a Jamaican dealer (played by Aml Ameen) who leaves the island to make it big in London.

Smith’s character Raggz takes care of business while he’s away, keeping an eye on his drugs empire. The actor said Raggz ‘likes to be armed’, and he’s certainly dangerous.

After filming his scenes in Jamaica, Smith flew home to his family in Los Angeles, quickly re-packed his bags and travelled with the family to London, where they landed yesterday afternoon.

‘On Tuesday night, I was being directed by Idris and then my part was finished,’ he said, adding that he’d like to collaborate with the superstar again.

They had already worked together voicing characters in the Disney animated hit Zootopia.

Elba set up Yardie with executives at the British Film Institute, Studio Canal, Warp Films and BBC Films. There’s talk of him doing further Yardie-related projects in the future. Meanwhile, he’s set to shoot a new series of Luther for the BBC, and will also be seen in The Mountain Between Us with Kate Winslet.