Idris Elba is the real thing. An actor’s actor, one who gets to know the character inside out, and then turns in a performance not to be forgotten.
Elba, who is also a singer, deejay and producer, was born in London, England. His father was from Sierra Leone, West Africa, and his mother from Ghana, West Africa. The actor’s full name is Idrissa Akuna Elba.
One of Elba’s most challenging jobs was portraying Nelson Mandela in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” For one thing, he bears little resemblance to the human rights icon.
But such a thing need not be a hindrance. One can look back to Laurence Fishburne in “What’s Love To Do With It?” He looked nothing like Ike Turner, yet gave a mesmerizing, completely convincing performance.
HOW DID Elba go about capturing the essence of Nelson Mandela?
“Not having met him, my dad reminded me of what I imagined him to be in person: the presence, the humor and the way he moved — elegant, but at the same time sturdy, a rock-solid guy,” Elba said.
“I channeled my dad’s energies because he was a big fan of Mr. Mandela and a union guy who struggled for the working man.”
Elba developed a desire to enter the acting field while a student in Canning Town, a district in East London. He was in his early twenties when he began auditioning for television parts. For a time he also worked as part of the National Youth Music Theatre.
He landed his first role in a series titled “Bramwell,” a medical drama. Other roles followed, but he felt that in order to achieve what he set out to, it would be necessary to move to the United States, specifically New York City.
THINGS progressed nicely, including being signed for an episode of “Law & Order.” But his real breakthrough came when he was chosen for the part of Russell “Stringer” Bell in the HBO drama “The Wire.” He was with that show from 2002 to 2004.
However, there was a dry period before that. He recalled, “I’d had three or four years of unemployment, not getting acting jobs. I was watching Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes and saying, ‘I can do that. I can be right there with them.’”
Interestingly, he ended up returning to the Motherland (Botswana, Southern Africa) to work in the popular series “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” along with Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose (“Dreamgirls”). The show aired on BBC One.
Elba won a Golden Globe Award for his work in the six-part BBC series “Luther,” a crime drama. The coveted award was in the Best Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category.
WHILE Idris Elba appreciates recognition, good reviews and awards, he doesn’t allow himself to get caught up in any of it.
“I’m super critical of my own work,” he said. “As an actor, if you’re being told how wonderful you are, what do you need to strive for? I don’t know if I’m good because some critic says I am in the press.”
He pretty much feels the same way when his looks become a focal point. For example, in 2007 People magazine selected him as one of “The 100 Most Beautiful People in the World.” That was nice, but he didn’t talk about it a lot.
Among Elba’s other films are “This Christmas” (with Loretta Devine, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer, Chris Brown, Laz Alonso and others), “Obsessed” (starring Beyoncé Knowles), “The Gospel,” “American Gangster,” “Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls,” “Buffalo Soldiers,” “Prom Night” and “28 Weeks Later.” In post-production is “The Gunman.”
The television program Elba has appeared on include “The Office,” “Silent Witness,” “The Inspector,” “Girlfriends,” and “The Big C.”
ASKED about his overall viewpoint with regard to acting, Elba said, “For me, it’s entertainment. Every film I’ve done, it’s about the character. I chose these roles, whether it’s ‘Obsessed’ or whether it’s ‘The Gospel.’ Not everything is going to be as powerful as some of the more iconic roles.
“I get criticized for taking roles in films like ‘Ghost Rider 2,’ but if you look at my résumé, you see that I’ve mixed it up as much as I can. I love to play different roles. That’s just the kind of actor I am.” — Jayson Lewis
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