Idris Elba played Stringer in the HBO’s hit show ‘The Wire,’ but rarely watched the show because he was too critical of his own work.
“I’ve seen a full episode at screenings but never at home,” Elba told Playboy magazine. “I’ve never watched an entire season. I’ve not seen any episode of season two, most of season three and none of seasons four and five. I’m super-critical of my own work. 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 just because some critic says I am in the press.”
Elba appears very humble, which will come in handy for his upcoming portrayal of the former South African President Nelson Mandela in the movie “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”
“This is one of the most courageous and selfless men you’re ever going to meet,” Elba said of Mandela. “If I said to you, ‘Listen, there’s a whole generation of people who are suffering, and if you give up 27 years of your life and spend that time in prison, you could help them,’ the likelihood is you’d say, ‘No, I’m all right. I’m kind of comfortable here.’ What I found out from him is, he was that guy.”
Catch Elba in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” in select theaters Nov. 29.
