Idris Elba Video Interview On ‘Mandela,’ Mandela’s Death, Winnie

Idris Elba was in London at the Royal premiere of his film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, when he learned that Nelson Mandela had died. “I burst into tears immediately and was so emotional and then we made the decision to go onto the stage after the film while the credits were rolling to make an official announcement to the audience,” Elba told Uinterview exclusively. “It felt like the right thing to do, but of course as I stood up and stood out, the audience wanted to clap for me but we had to hush them down and explain to them what had happened.”

Elba, 41, got his big break more than a decade ago when he was cast as “Stringer” Bell, an astute drug-dealer on HBO’s The Wire. In the years since, Elba, who was born in London, has successfully transitioned from television to film star. In the past five years, he has starred in action flicks including, RocknRolla, Thor, Prometheus, Pacific Rim and Thor: The Dark World.

In 2012, Elba won his first Golden Globe award for his performance as the title character in the BBC miniseries Luther. Neil Cross, the creator of the miniseries, finished a script for a Luther film adaptation in 2013. Elba is set to reprise his role as DCI Luther in the film.

Interview by Erik Meers