Idris Elba Fun Facts, Quotes and Tweets
21st August 2016
Quote: "I want to do comedy because I’m hilarious! I (also) want to work with Denzel Washington one day. He’s a hero of mine." Idris Elba reveals his Hollywood movie role wish list.
15th August 2016
Quote: "My celebrity crush is Meryl Streep. When I met her, my tongue swelled up in my mouth!" Idris Elba was lost for words when he met the Oscar winner.
22nd July 2016
Quote: "I actually like education. I'd probably be a teacher of drama, maybe. I wouldn't be an actor if it wasn't for my teacher. My teacher encouraged me. She didn't say, 'You should be an actor', she said, 'You've got confidence, use your confidence,' that sort of thing, and I think I can do that with young people." Idris Elba would have been a drama teacher had he not pursued action as a profession.
22nd July 2016
Fact: Idris Elba's career came full circle on Friday (22Jul16) after sitting down for an interview with Taye Diggs, the star he lost out to for the lead role in 1998 romantic comedy How Stella Got Her Groove Back. During an appearance on U.S. morning show Live! With Kelly, on which Taye was a guest co-host, the British actor said, "When I first moved to America, one of the first auditions I went for was a movie called How Stella Got Her Groove Back. I'm not joking! And I had to walk in there with a Jamaican accent and all that, and obviously it wasn't very good because guess who got the job?"
21st May 2016
Fact: A new trailer for Star Trek Beyond was released on Friday (20May16), and gave fans their first glimpse of Idris Elba as the movie's villain, Krall. Director Justin Lin announced at a fan event on Friday that the film, which also stars Chris Pine, Simon Pegg and Zoe Saldana, will have its world premiere in IMAX at Comic-Con in San Diego, California, on 20 July (16), ahead of its worldwide release on 22 July.
14th April 2016
Quote: "I don't know if I've got the chops to sing, but I'd like to explore it." Actor/DJ Idris Elba is interested in a musical role.
31st January 2016
Tweet: "You wait for one bus and TWO come along at the same time. Life innit. @SAGawards Thank you. Saaaaaaaagyyyyyy!!" Idris Elba celebrates his double win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday (30Jan16) with a humble post on Twitter.com. The Brit won outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role for Beasts of No Nation, and outstanding performance by a male actor in a TV movie or miniseries for Luther.
9th December 2015
Tweet: "Thank you to the @NAACP and thank you my family at @SAGawards I am truly Gassed (flattered)." British actor Idris Elba is excited to land NAACP Image Awards and Screen Actors Guild nominations for his roles in child soldier drama Beasts of No Nation and TV crime drama Luther.
17th August 2015
Quote: ''For a minute, the rumour was great. I saw my Twitter account rise. I was like, 'What is this popularity? Oh, oh, I see, it's 'cause they think I have a massive penis.' But we all had fun with it. I certainly did. (But) what am I gonna say? I'm not gonna go out there and pretend that I have a 12-foot d**k. It's just not how I was raised." Idris Elba reflects on rumours his manhood is huge after a suggestive photo surfaced while he was filming the movie A Hundred Streets in London last year (14). He subsequently blamed the bulge in his pants on a microphone wire.
23rd April 2015
Quote: "I'm really excited, Idris is an extraordinary actor and we're trying to write him a kick-a** role... This is the five-year mission, we're out there. We don't need to keep bumping into the same five people. It's a massive universe!" British actor/screenwriter Simon Pegg confirms reports suggesting Idris Elba is set to join the STAR TREK film franchise as a whole new character, although he stops short of discussing whether the Thor star will play the villain in Star Trek 3, as has previously been rumoured.
20th November 2014
Fact: Actor Idris Elba is reprising his role in hit British drama Luther for a two-part miniseries. The detective show ended its three-season run in the U.K. last year (13), but now bosses at the BBC America network have decided to revive the programme for a Tv special in 2015.
14th August 2014
Quote: "I'd just played this iconic human being, and the scripts I got afterward were sort of... disappointing. I know that I work a lot, but I'd prefer to wait sometimes because I don't want to just do rubbish films anymore or characters that anyone can play." Idris Elba admits hasn't been offered many decent roles since portraying Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
18th July 2014
Tweet: "International Mandela day today and I am missing the old man." British actor Idris Elba, who played Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, remembers the late South African politician on Friday (18Jul14) - the day of the civil rights icon's birthday.
8th June 2014
Tweet: "Thinking about Tracey Morgan (sic) and his family...hold your head up bruv (sic)." Actor Idris Elba sends his best wishes to comedian Tracy Morgan, who is in critical condition following a multi-car accident on Saturday (07Jun14).
25th February 2014
Fact: Idris Elba's hit British Tv drama Luther is set to be remade for Russian audiences. The Wire star has portrayed a troubled detective in the crime series since 2010, and show producers are currently working on adapting the programme for the big screen. The Russian version will be renamed Klim and will begin production in St. Petersburg in August (14).
8th January 2014
Quote: "I've got to think about a speech because you play someone like Nelson Mandela, you have to say something really important if you win." Actor Idris Elba feels pressure to say something profound at this weekend's (12Jan14) Golden Globes - if he wins.
8th January 2014
Quote: "I have a little bit of a crush on Jennifer Lawrence at the moment. Beautiful." Actor Idris Elba has the hots for The Hunger Games star.
3rd January 2014
Quote: "Playing Nelson Mandela has made me wanna do a lot more." Actor Idris Elba plans to become a force for good after portraying the late human rights icon in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
3rd January 2014
Quote: "It happened during the premiere... and there was a massive sadness in the room... We made the announcement and you couldn't write that." Actor Idris Elba on the timing of Nelson Mandela's death - the former African leader passed away while the cast, crew and royal guests were watching Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom at the premiere in London last month (Dec13).
9th December 2013
Quote: "This film is in honor of my old man." Actor Idris Elba has dedicated his performance in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom to his father, who passed away from lung cancer in September (13).
6th December 2013
Tweet: "I'm stunned, crushed, in mourning with you and his family, I feel only honoured to have portrayed him. He's in a better place now. Rip Nm." British actor Idris Elba, who plays Nelson Mandela in new movie Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, tweeted his reaction to the civil rights icon's death on Thursday (05Nov13).
20th November 2013
Quote: "I'm an honorary Mandela now. His daughter Zindzi calls me 'Dad'. It's weird, but it's cool!" British actor Idris Elba is flattered to have won over Nelson Mandela's family with his portrayal of the former South African president in new movie, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.
6th November 2013
Quote: "We didn't film chronologically, so our first scene together was us getting married. It was the first thing we did, and we hadn't even met each other." Actress Naomie Harris was forced to conjure up some chemistry with her Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom co-star Idris Elba on the first day of their shoot. The former Bond girl portrays Winnie Mandela in the biopic, while Elba plays former South African President Nelson Mandela.
23rd October 2013
Quote: "I'm five shades darker than he is, so the audience is going to be challenged by the fact that I don't look like him. When I played him as an older man, with prosthetics, there was more of the Mandela we know, and I could hide behind the costume." Actor Idris Elba on the challenges of playing Nelson Mandela in new biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
23rd October 2013
Quote: "I've tried everything... I've tried it all. I played one of the biggest drug dealers in the world on Tv, so you think I'd know what I was talking about." Actor Idris Elba has become a drug expert thanks to his own experiences and his role as Russell 'Stringer' Bell on Tv series The Wire.
21st October 2013
Fact: Rockers U2 have released a new song from their upcoming album for the soundtrack of Idris Elba's Nelson Mandela biopic. The group wrote and recorded Ordinary Love for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and it will be included on its new album, which will be released early in 2014. It will be the band's first album since 2009's No Line on the Horizon.
1st October 2013
Fact: Blur star Damon Albarn is set to make his debut as a radio Dj on Saturday (05Oct13) when he steps in for BBC Radio 2 presenter Dermot O'Leary for the day. The rocker will welcome a number of special guests during the show, including The Wire star Idris Elba and The Clash's Paul Simonon, who was also a member of the singer's Gorillaz collective.
26th July 2013
Fact: British actor Idris Elba has been given a major boost in his career as a Dj after landing a slot at the U.K.'s upcoming V Festival next month (Aug13).
24th June 2013
Quote: "We pushed the envelope when it came to artistic licence with Luther. He... never changes his clothes. No one ever mentions that!.. Columbo... I was a big fan of him. The idea that Luther doesn't change his clothes was based around him and that iconic mac (raincoat) of his." Idris Elba's character in popular crime drama Luther is inspired by Peter Falk's beloved Tv detective Columbo.
1st May 2013
Quote: "He's gonna kill me, apparently. Well, he's f**king taking his time." Beady Eye star Liam Gallagher laughs off his confrontation with The Wire actor Idris Elba at the NME Awards in London in February (13). They clashed when Gallagher knocked Elba's hat off his head.
3rd October 2011
Quote: "I just don't want to be the black James Bond. Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond, and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond." Actor Idris Elba fuels speculation he's in talks to replace Craig as 007.
14th June 2011
Quote: "When I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, I look like s**t. It's all genetics, honey. I don't work out, I don't lift weights. I don't do anything - I'm lazy." Actor Idris Elba is baffled by his sex symbol reputation.
6th May 2010
Quote: "It's my mum's favourite show and I love being in things my mum likes." The Wire star Idris Elba is eyeing a cameo on long-running British soap opera Eastenders - to please his mum.
27th April 2010
Quote: "There have been rumours, but nothing solid. Of course it would be a huge compliment to be asked. But I wouldn't be interested if it was simply a case of them deciding it was time for a black James Bond. I can do without the 'black James Bond' label." The Wire star Idris Elba would be wary of taking on the role of 007.
7th May 2009
Quote: "I'm a big fan of Tyra's! She is sexy. I mean, I don't really get obsessed with anyone, but Tyra is definitely hot." OBSESSED actor Idris Elba confesses his crush on supermodel-turned-TV host Tyra Banks.
4th May 2009
Quote: "I'm too proud, basically. I've been DJ-ing long enough to know the difference between a good record and a bad one, so I just figured I'm going to do it myself. But that said, Beyonce is the kind of person that would say, 'Yo 'Dris, let me hear what you got, let me see what you're doing', and maybe steer me in the right direction - if I had asked. But I didn't." Actor/music producer Idris Elba refused to ask his OBSESSED co-star Beyonce Knowles for advice on his music career during filming for the thriller.
30th April 2009
Quote: "She's really nice, very humble. She's one of the most famous people in the world but she was really down to earth." OBSESSED star Idris Elba is a big fan of his on-screen wife Beyonce Knowles.
30th April 2009
Quote: "I made number 77. I was like, 'How did you calculate that?' There are, like, a hundred billion people on the earth!" The Wire star Idris Elba is baffled by his inclusion in People magazine's 2008 Sexiest Man Alive countdown.
31st March 2009
Fact: Rapper Busta Rhymes called in an all-star cast for his new video RESPECT MY CONGLOMERATE - the promo features appearances by hip-hop stars Lil Wayne, Raekwon and Jadakiss, and actors Idris Elba, Tyrese Gibson and CSI: MIAMI star Adam Rodriguez.
17th September 2008
Quote: "If Guy says you're all right, you're all right. He's very nice. Gives you a hug in the morning. Loves to sit down and have a chat. Really interested. I like him a lot." Actor Idris Elba enjoyed his time working with director Guy Ritchie on the set of ROCKNROLLA.
Idris Elba
Advertisement
