Idris Elba is one of the most well-known actors working in Hollywood today. He's appeared in countless iconic movies and TV series, including The Suicide Squad, the Thor franchise, and HBO's celebrated series, The Wire. Yet, despite his numerous roles across Emmy and Oscar-winning projects, the actor doesn't feel as if he's an inspiration to any one race and claims he doesn't classify talent by skin color.
During an interview with the i Newspaper, Elba explained his thoughts behind paving the way for young actors and the people he looked up to before he rose to fame.
"I'm not one for profiling actors by race. I don't believe in black actors. I don't believe in white actors. Actors are actors. I definitely feel that my generation of actors certainly paved a way for young African-descendant actors. Before me, it was Denzel [Washington] and Sydney [Poitier] and Wesley [Snipes]. And that's a natural progression of change. Good actors come, they open a generation, performances become memorable and that births new actors."
Although Elba doesn't necessarily agree with only being an inspiration for actors of African descent, he recognizes how the next generation of talent may look up to him.
Idris Elba Says He's Trying to Amplify the Talent in Africa
Idris Elba is coming off his hunt-or-be-hunted thriller, Beast. The film centers around Nate Samuels (Elba) as he tries to keep his family safe from a rogue lion, intent on proving it's the apex predator of the Savanna. Beast was released in theaters last week, on Aug. 19, and the movie is currently available worldwide. The film was shot on location in Africa, and Elba says he's "keen" on helping the continent's development.
"I'm really keen on the development of Africa. My parents come from Africa and more than anywhere in the world, I feel like that continent deserves some real tender care and love and thought. As a proud son of it, I feel like I can bring conversations around sustainability, conversations about growth. Young Africans view me as a leader or a beacon. And I feel like I could bring something. So I'm keen to bring what I've learned in media and amplify it in Africa."
Elba admits he's a fan of the African film industry too, and he's especially impressed by the content creators providing work across many countries on the continent.
"I'm a fan of the Nigerian [film] industry. I'm a fan of the South African industry. Ghana has a very small industry. And I'm a fan of the content creators in Africa, especially West Africa. These kids that have these smartphones are making incredible content. And I feel like it's overlooked. So I'm really a fan of trying to harness that and help that grow."
You can catch Idris Elba in theaters as Dr. Nate Samuels in Beast. His next film, Three Thousand Years of Longing, also hit theaters on Aug. 26. The film follows a lonely scholar on a trip to Istanbul who discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.