Idris: Acting, spinning decks and being a dad is real life to me – social media I can just ignore
IDRIS Elba is a Hollywood action star, a kickboxer, a favourite to be the next James Bond and the alter-ego of no-nonsense DCI John Luther.
It’s more than enough to make him self-assured in life.
But even he admits hateful social media trolls who accuse him of “getting lucky” get under his skin.
Idris, 48, thinks it’s better not to react, otherwise you “just dry up like a prune”. Another help to him, he reveals, is meditation, a habit he adopted in lockdown.
The Londoner also cites daughter Isan, 19, and sonwinston, six, as his
“moral compass” to help him choose roles that they would be proud of.
Idris, also an in-demand DJ, says he fights the temptation to get involved in social media battles.
“It’s really easy to get sucked into that sort of, ‘I’ve got a phone, and
I’ve got my characters, and I’m going to give you my opinion, and I’m going to shove it down your throat, and because I know you’re glued to your timeline, you’re going to see it’. “I just ignore it if I’m honest.”
The workaholic – who recently celebrated his second wedding anniversary with partner Sabrina Dhowre, 30 – doesn’t have too much time for scrolling, anyway.
He is currently starring in movie Concrete Cowboy on Netflix, a project he was drawn to because of its father-son narrative, as Idris lost dadwinston to lung cancer in 2013.
“My dad’s death is still very painful for me,” he said. “I’m an only child and my dad, he wasn’t a lovey-dovey dude, but he raised me well.”
Another challenge Elba faced on the film was his allergy to horses, as he had to ride one: “I couldn’t see what I was doing, I couldn’t breathe.
“When you see a mask on my face, behind it there were tears streaming from my eyes.”
Offering motivation to fans after a horrible year, he added: “We’re all going to get out of this at some point. We’ve got to look forward.”