Actor Idris Elba won’t slow down
NEW YORK — Idris Elba has met President Barack Obama and the queen of England. And yes, he still gets as wideeyed as the rest of us.
“It’s been a surreal year, man,” he says. No kidding. The actor, 41, is an Oscar front-runner this awards season for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” out Christmas Day. Elba initially turned down the role of Mandela, partly because he doesn’t physically resemble the anti-apartheid leader and former president of South Africa and partly because he didn’t want to embody an unblemished icon. But when he did sign on, he opted to play Nelson as a flawed man who, yes, inspired a nation and the world but also cheated on his wife.
“He has and had flaws. It was our responsibility in this film to show him as a human being,” Elba says. “He made some
1choices in his younger life that were questionable and very opposite to who he became as an older man.” For an actor known for his intense roles, especially as savvy drug-ring leader Stringer Bell on HBO’s “The Wire,” Elba is goofy and selfeffacing in person. While sipping peppermint tea, he reveals that he’s a skilled tap dancer. But he has no plans to ever appear on “Dancing With the Stars.” “No. There it is,” he says. “It’s a guilty pleasure to watch it.” Despite his impressive pedigree, Elba is democratic in his viewing habits. Yes, he won a Golden Globe for playing fixated, fanatical Chief Inspector John Luther on the BBC series “Luther.” But when he’s home in England, he indulges in the same junk as many of the rest of us.
“I’ve watched “Jersey Shore” and (MTV UK’s) “Geordie Shore” and compared the two. “Geordie Shore” is about kids from Newcastle. It’s very similar to “Jersey Shore” but
23raunchier.” Although other actors might say the work is its own reward, Elba is honest about his ambition. Given the choice, he’d never stop filming, even when his agents tell him to kick back, take a break and bask in his achievements. Next year, he explores the plight of child soldiers in “Beasts of No Nation.”
“I can’t sit in any ruts, man. I’m going to pick myself up and go for it.” Elba has legions of ladies who love him and his work, but he insists that they (mostly) leave him alone when they meet him in person. “I don’t get hit on. I get a lot of female fans coming up and wanting to take pictures. But the actual ‘Let me take you for a drink,’ I don’t get that.”
Seriously? Elba demurs, but he laughs when asked about an equally popular friend of his.
“They love (Michael) Fassbender, don’t they? He’s a good-looking man and a cheeky, cheeky Irish fella.”
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