Idris Elba is a transplant from the U.K. who came to America in the late 1990s in hopes of furthering his acting career. But that journey to becoming an Emmy-nominated actor did not come without struggle.
“The Harder They Fall” star sat down for a recent interview with CNN, where he shared that he was once homeless after moving to the U.S. He would go on to appear in episodes of series such as “Law & Order,” but it was his role in “The Wire” that changed his life.
Elba told journalist Becky Anderson that the show’s casting director, Alexa Fogel, reminded him not to use his British accent during the audition, and he complied. The 52-year-old actor also revealed that he auditioned for a month to play Baltimore kingpin Russell “Stringer” Bell, and he eventually won the part.
“I auditioned extensively over four weeks. I auditioned in New York,” he said. “It was a tough gig to do. Alexa Fogel is an amazing casting director. She always has an eye for an amazing talent and she gave me an opportunity to audition for it, but she told me, ‘Whatever you do, don’t walk in there with your English accent. This is about Baltimore, they’re not interested in East London.’ And that was it, I auditioned amongst some amazing young actors, and on my last audition, I got the job.”
Elba also revealed that he hasn’t watched many of “The Wire” episodes “because it’s an incredible time of my life. I can’t watch it through that lens.” He’s also said in the past that it was because he’s too critical of his work.
However, he does have box sets of the show, as well as from another hit series he starred in, “Luther.”
“I’ve racked up some box sets. I’ve got ‘The Wire’ to get through. I’ve got ‘Luther’ season 1 to five to get to,” he added.
The “Hijack” star moved to Hollywood after landing a small role on the U.K. comedy show “Absolutely Fabulous” and noted that he was without shelter for a short time before landing his role as Stringer.
“For the most part, when I got there, it was really tough,” Elba said. “That was a struggle. But it was positive. I grew in confidence. I went through a very tough time; at one point I was homeless. … In my early years, ‘The Wire’ changed my life completely, and my daughter was born at the same time. So that really changed my life, and I’m always in and out of America.”
The Marvel star said he enjoys living in England now, “closer to my mum. My dad’s passed and so I’m home in England now, but I’m always there.”
Elba’s father Winston Elba passed in 2013 from lung cancer. He leaves behind two grandchildren; 21-year-old daughter Isan, whom Idris shares with ex-wife Hanne “Kim” Nørgaard, and 9-year-old son Winston, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth.
“They’re a part of me,” Elba told People magazine. “They are the reason I get up and do it.”
“Thank you for existing so I have a purpose,” he added.
The British actor was raised in London, but his parents are from Ghana and Sierra Leone, the latter of which is where Elba is working on a new project to build a “smart eco-city” that would run off wind power.
He is also working with the government to attract tourists to Sherbro Island, a place known for its pristine beaches and nesting ground for green sea turtles. Elba hopes to transform the area into a tourist playground to help the country’s economy.
Elba also wants to grow Africa’s creative arts industry and has made several films on the continent, including the 2022 film “Beast.”
