The multifaceted actor who has conquered Hollywood and the world.
In 2018, the American magazine People elected him the “Sexiest Man Alive”. Actually, Idris Elba is much more than just a powerful body.
Idris Elba is one of the few British actors to have achieved global success. Hollywood noticed and caught him, making him one of its full-fledged leading stars, capable of interpreting with the same intensity a “legendary man” like Nelson Mandela (in Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom, 2013), a mythological Nordic god (Heimdall, in Thor, 2011), and the TV series Luther, for which he won a Golden Globe. Multifaceted like few others, Idris is also a director, a producer, a DJ, a rapper, an entrepreneur, a stylist, a philanthropist and a podcaster. Born in London, he soon pursued the dream of becoming an actor, landed in New York and it’s a done deal.
Let’s imagine getting into a time machine. How do you describe the beginning of your adventure in the United States?
“Okay. Wait while I close my eyes. Here we are. I’m in New York. I’m a boy. We are in the 80s. I hope to meet Robert De Niro. I spend hours and hours in front of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, dreaming of studying with film legends. I’m broke. I sleep in the car”.
Wow, that was hard…
“Very hard. I was an unemployed actor who had no intention to give up on his dream. Inside me I was convinced that I would make it, which is why I showed up for every possible audition. Then came the role of drug dealer Russell “Stringer” Bell in the TV series The Wire, and I finally made my debut on the international scene… exactly in the “land” of De Niro, my favorite actor!”.
Did you want to become like him?
“Yes. When I was I child I even skipped school to see Once Upon a Time in America! What an interpretation! As the film ended, I said to myself: when I grow up I want to be an actor. And so it was.”
I’ll bet your parents in London to be happy to have such a famous son!
“Absolutely not!”.
What do you mean?
“My father was a workman, for him acting meant starving, living on dreams. I was born in Hackney, a problematic area of London, there are no famous actors who grew up there. For him it was a dead-end career”.
And what about your mother?
“My mother told me that if that was really my dream, I had her approval”.
How did your parallel career as a DJ begin?
“It was born a bit out of necessity – I had to pay the bills and eat! – a little out of passion. I grew up listening to reggae and dancehall, but at home, with my parents, we listened to a lot of blues, jazz and even country, so I started creating special compilations… so music was a way to earn money and at the same time to express my creativity”.
What secrets does “the sexiest man in the world” have to keep himself so fit?
“You should ask him! I was the sexiest one for just a year, in 2018!”.
I’m sure that for your fans this will last forever!
“(He bursts out laughting). My work encourages me to take care of my body and my health. I take vitamins, that’s why my skin looks good, my eyes are bright and my body is in good shape”.
Exercise?
“A lot. I usually get up at 5am in the morning. I like jumping rope, it regenerates me in a few minutes. If I can I run and then I add a hundred push-ups. I often swim. I love shadowboxing, it’s one of the best workouts you can do. No equipment is needed and it works all your muscles. That’s what Nelson Mandela did in his cell!”.
Do you follow a special diet?
“Not exactly. I learned what foods to eat and at what times, and to avoid cheese, lactose and similar products. I never skip breakfast, which is made of cereals and eggs”.
A food you can’t resist?
“I’m crazy for African food”.
A dessert, sometimes?
“My favorite midnight snack is a teaspoon of honey, or…”
Or…?
“A nougat bar with caramel! Only in exceptional cases, of course!”
Out of curiosity, what do you think of yourself aesthetically? Do you find yourself handsome?
“God forbid! When I was younger – now I’m 51 – I hated my smile. I thought it made me look stupid! Then, however, I realized that a smile is contagious and makes everyone beautiful”.
To close, I’m the Genie of the Lamp: what is your wish?
“It’s about Italy. I would like to visit the Elba Island… Think about it, an entire island with my surname. I’m very curious! As if it was a little bit mine!”.
Barbara Zorzoli
