Idris Elba is unremarkable. At least, that’s the sense he desperately tries to impress upon us, as he unassumingly slinks into the room. All 1.9m of him.
An almost shy smile sneaks from his lips in greeting to the journos waiting to hang off his every word, with his salt-and-pepper hair affording him an aura of regality that further diminishes his attempts to blend into the background.
That the 41-year-old Brit is, by his own admission, rather retiring and “feels awkward” under the glare of the spotlight is made all the more ironic when considered against the context of the person he portrays:
Where Madiba was known to be an extrovert who readily embraced the centre-of-attention title (not least where the ladies were concerned), Idris describes his childhood self as “the tall silent type. I wasn’t the guy with that big personality”. And of his current status, he declares: “When I’m walking through the streets of (his hometown) London, I still see myself as just a tall black man, walking along.”
But this in itself is a testament to Elba’s ability as an actor. Particu- larly when tasked with the responsibility of portraying a legendary figure within not only African, but global, circles. And one regarded as something of a living saint at that. No pressure.
“My method is always to do the best job I can do, irrespective of the role. But when you’re playing Nelson Mandela, a world icon, you have to pay attention to who he is as a personality,” he explains.
“I didn’t want to do an impersonation – I don’t really look like him anyway – so I had to capture his spirit. This was the focus of my preparation for the role.”
That, and mastering Mandela’s distinctive accent.
“I just wanted people to recognise him in my voice when they heard me speak,” says Elba, whose tendency toward extreme self-criticism makes him rather reluctant to offer a live performance when a journalist eggs him on.
His bashful-tinged uncertainty at any possible disparagement, in terms of both his inflection and his overall rendering, is unwarranted: to see and listen to Elba speak on screen, you may be pleasantly stunned to find yourself forgetting you are witnessing an actor in action, and not the real-life man himself.
For those who have been following Elba’s progress as he has quietly ploughed his way through the prickly fields of show business, his prowess will come as little surprise.
Whether it’s an economically-savvy gangster in a suit (The Wire), his Golden Globe-winning turn as the tormented Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, or an amber-eyed futuristic sentry he’s taking on (Thor), Elba tackles every task with fierce commitment.
So much so, it’s this very chameleon-like quality (the mark of a true actor versus a celebrity-someone who just happens to star in films) that’s, sadly, seen him slip under the radar.
Not that he’s bitter about it: As he tells me when I ask whether he feels he’ll ever be able to eclipse what many would deem a bucket-list part as Madiba, he modestly offers: “It isn’t until you do a role like this that people care about your career. But it is in essence the very small roles at the beginning of your career that get you where you are. I’m very thankful for this role, but my earlier roles in my earlier years are the reason I’m here today.”
And he calls himself ungracious! With that, an exhausted Elba rises to make his exit, leaving me to play the part of demented-looking dwarf next to his soaring frame, as I dive in for my groupie photo-op moment…
WIN! WIN! WIN!
Ten lucky Tonight readers stand a chance to win a copy of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.
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To enter, simply answer the following question:
Who stars in the lead role in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom?
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