Idris elba
The actor has appeared in Thor and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. This month, his production Tree, a play about South Africa, hits the stage
My career I’m finding that musical part of my life [as well as acting, Idris performs as a DJ under the moniker of DJ Big Driis] is really liberating at the moment, in a way that’s very different from the acting. As an actor, I’m in a position where I get to work with the best people and choose what I do. While I’m relatively new as a DJ, I try to apply the same work ethic to it.
My roots I was raised in east
London and it was my upbringing that kept me out of trouble. I got my first job at 14, fitting tyres.
I was earning 15 quid per Saturday, plus tips – I was coming home with £26 sometimes. That’s a lot of money for a kid, so I was never tempted to turn to crime. I think because I was an only child, creativity and imagination really kicked in.
My heart-throb status [On being voted the sexiest man alive] I was like, ‘Come on, no way. Really?’ Looked in the mirror, I checked myself out. I was like, ‘Yeah, you are kind of sexy today.’ But to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a nice surprise – an ego boost for sure.
My downtime I like to cook. I went to Trinity Boys’ School, Canning Town, east London, the edge of the industrial world. But we had this home economics class where you got tough lads like me and my mates learning how to cook, and I absolutely loved that.
My new play Tree Kwame [Kwei-Armah] and I have both had a strong desire to work with each other for a long time; we’ve known each other since we were in our early twenties and have talked about the idea for this show for a while. Our ambition being to make a piece of work inspired by South Africa, using the album Mi Mandela as a starting point.
Idris is producer of new stage show, a musical called Tree, which runs at London’s Young Vic Theatre from 29 July-24 August. For tickets, visit youngvic.org/whats-on/tree