Because I was big, I didn't have to listen to anyone doubting me. I was just considered good at football or whatever, there were no questions about i….

The directors [who know every detail] make films that are complete, basically..

Africans, we hold on to our youths and whip them into shape..

Television is where I cut my teeth..

Television, for me, is a medium that I'm probably always going to be attached to, one way or another..

If you go to Africa and you're white, you're probably not going to get that much work either. But the fact is that there is a longer history of black….

In some countries, no one knows who Idris Elba is..

The one album I can't live without is called 'Cumbolo' by a band called Culture. Every song on their album is deep, but there's one in particular cal….

It was deeply important for me to understand where Mandela came from. Because we know where he was going, and that's a famous story, but who was he? ….

I've never had to explain Prometheus to people, ever. Most people get it..

I wasn't bad at school, but I was never a bookworm..

I wanted to be on American TV so much. I didn't park DJ'ing; I just sort of ended up becoming more of a studio guy. I had a bit more money and I coul….

I was always a real athletic kid. Then when I got older, I just figured it was part of life to keep training..

What an honor it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights bef….

The English are good at bad guys - the James Bond-style villain, cunning, slow-burning. The Americans are much more obvious about it..

The role of my agent has just been to get me in the room. If I can get in the room - say the character is just a charming man who lives next door - t….

Nobody likes a celebrity DJ for the sake of style, so I don't do that - I try to be good at what I do. It's all about resetting, it's my escape. It i….

I don't get recognised that much yet in London, but when I do I get a real sense of achievement..

There's the argument that you can relate to someone who's completely unrelatable. In the way that a director shows you his imagination on a film, the….

I'm a little sheepish about it. Whenever I meet fans and they're like, 'Oh, you're so sexy,' I just don't get that. There's no way one man can be uni….

Yeah, I know, any time you hear an actor say, 'I do music', you cringe. But I want to be gradual with my music. I want to earn my stripes..