Idris Elba: Feet always firmly on the ground

Larry: I have with me one of the biggest guys the world has ever seen. He’s a global treasure. He’s an actor, he’s a musician, he’s a DJ. Idris Elba is on the phone with me. How are you doing?

Idris: I’m okay, thank you. How are you doing, Larry?

Very, very lovely. So, you’ve got an excellent film coming out, ‘Mandela, My Dad and Me’. It’s going to be airing on ‘History’ here in Africa. What is this all about?

You know, this film is a documentary. It’s a very personal sort of journey film. After I’d spent a long time in South Africa, I fell in love with the music and the culture. And not too shortly after the film had been finished and completed, I lost my father to cancer.

I then decided to go back to South Africa because I felt very comfortable there and I wanted to jump straight back into work. But I wanted to do music. And the whole journey, I took cameras with me and we shot lots and lots of footage. And I don’t think we were making a documentary at the time. It was really more just documenting the idea of making an album in South Africa.

And then, after the fact, this film about my journey in South Africa, about my dad’s influence on me and the music in my life, then gave birth to this documentary. 

Does this project make you feel closer to your African roots?

I guess. You know, I’ve been raised in an African house most of my life, even brought up in England. But parents very much, you know, first generation Sierra Leoneans, Ghanaians. So I’ve always felt close to my African roots, but this film is definitely a very personal journey of me in Africa, which is a slightly different slant. 

What was it like working on ‘Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom’?

That was the toughest film of my life, working on Mandela. It’s a very big part. It was a defining career move for me. Before that, you know, I was very much a jobbing actor and then, when you play Nelson Mandela, you’re chosen to play it. You don’t audition. You’re kind of chosen to take on the task.

And it certainly was a really big undertaking. It was a long time. I was there for about eight, nine months. It was a lot of research, but a lot of learning and, you know, just trying to give the best sort of interpretation of Nelson Mandela as I could. 

How do you manage to juggle your multiple roles? You’re an actor, one of the best in the world, you’re a musician, you’re a DJ. How do you find the time to do all these things?

I guess it’s really down to whatever you want to do in life, you know. If you’ve got the will and the organisation and the energy to do it, you’ll do it. And I think, with me, you know, like DJ-ing has been part of my life before I was an actor. And being a musician/producer of music has been later on in my life, but I’ve always had a keen interest in it. So, you know, the way to actually multitask is just to be really organised. 

Do you think your life would have turned out this way if you had been born and bred in Africa?

Perhaps a slightly different journey, but you are who you are destined to be, you know, and that’s something I believe in. So perhaps it would be maybe a very different journey, but I’d still be Idris. 

Has it been harder for you, as a black man, to break into Hollywood, to get into the big budget films that everybody wants to get into?

I think my journey has been tough regardless of whether I was black or yellow. But you know, I think obviously there has been lots of sort of harder journeys for black actors because there have been historically fewer roles. But for my journey personally, and what I have achieved and what I do, it’s been tough. It hasn’t been easy. 

Of all the characters you’ve played in television or in film, is there one that is very closest to your personality from ‘The Wire’ to everything else?

I think, when I played John Luther, it’s the one character that I play within my most comfort zone. So we shoot Luther in London. I pretty much speak the same way Luther does and all I have to do is put on the coat. So, for some reason, that character feels the easiest and most comfortable, compared with whom I am. Although John Luther and I are very different, but that character is easier to step into.

Speaking of speaking the way you do, your Nigerian accent is very convincing in ‘Beasts of No Nation’. How long did you work on that?

My accent in 'Beasts of No Nation' is not necessarily Nigerian, certainly because, you know, the film is a fictional story and my character is fictional. And, if I’m honest, that accent is more sort of West African, generally. My parents have Sierra Leonean accents so, of course, I’m used to hearing that. And also, I’m a little bit of a mimic. You know, I think that’s part of what I do is I can sort of listen to someone, the way someone speaks, and pick it up quite quickly. 

So do you slip in and out of accents, like when you do an American role that requires somebody to speak in an American accent, you can do that easily?

Sometimes. Sometimes, yes. If I’m working on an accent, then yes; I’ll stay in the accent and try and not slip away from it. But whenever, say, someone at a party says, “Oh, do an accent,” it’s always really bad. 

Do you realise that you’re a sex symbol all across the world? How do you react to that?

Well, I’ve been told today so, thank you very much for that, Larry. I appreciate that. I mean obviously, it’s a compliment. It’s nice to be considered sexy. 

Does that make it difficult for you to hold onto a relationship, to have a serious relationship; because everybody, the attention, is just too crazy?

Well, relationships are tough, regardless whether, especially in my industry, the industry is very demanding. So all relationships, in my industry, tend to be very difficult. But if you’re with someone, you’re with someone. 

Do you have a favourite actor or actress?

Meryl Streep is one of my favourite actresses. I love her. I think she’s incredible. Joaquin Phoenix is incredible. Michael Fassbender’s great. Denzel Washington’s incredible. Michael Ken Williams is a great actor. 

What have you learnt in your life about success? What is your theory on success?

You know, it’s a good question. I don’t know if I’ve actually ever thought about success in that way. You know, obviously I feel a successful actor, but I also felt successful the first day I got my first job. That was a form of success.

I think, ultimately, if you’re successful in whatever you do, it’s about maintenance, isn’t it? That I think is the most important thing is maintaining your success. You get to the pinnacle, but how do you stay up there; and that, I think, is important. 

Are you the kind of guy that rehearses for days, or even weeks, or do you just show up on set and are like, ‘I’m kind of a big deal. I’ve got this.’

No, there’s always a bit of rehearsal for everything. There are some shows where, for example in Luther, after a while, you know their character, you know the setup, you kind of can get on set and just say the words and you’re there; but there are other sequences or films that I’ve done where rehearsal’s a big part of that. You’re never too big for rehearsing. 

What are you working on? What else can we expect from you?

I think the next big film I’ve got is very different from Beasts of No Nation. It’s Star Trek 3. And I’m that. I’m very excited about that. That comes out next summer. 

When are you coming to Kenya? There are lots of people who will see this interview and start asking.

I can’t wait to come to Kenya. I’m not sure when. I’m waiting for the invite from you guys, but I’ll definitely be there as soon as I can. I’ve been to Kenya before. I loved it there.