During a chat on 'Who We Be Talks' podcast, the 'Suicide Squad' actor admits that his hardworking immigrant parents questioned whether he would be able to make a living at his chosen profession.
- October 15, 2021
AceShowbiz - Idris Elba's mum and dad finally accepted their son's show business dreams when they saw him on TV for the first time in a commercial.
"The Suicide Squad" star knew early on that he wanted to be an actor but his hardworking immigrant parents weren't at all sure their boy would be able to make a living at his chosen profession.
"I remember going back to my mum and dad and saying, 'Listen I want to be an actor,' " Idris tells the "Who We Be Talks" podcast. "My dad said, 'Actor? Actors don't make money, you want to be an actor, sit down. Go and read your book.' "
"So you know, I remember being a little discouraged by that because I was thinking, my dad and my mum worked hard, you know they came from Sierra Leone in the early '70s, I was born in '72 and all they did was work."
Idris remembers his parents told him, "You know we've worked hard to put you through school blah, blah, blah and you want to p**s your life about acting."
But everything changed when his mother spotted him on television. "You know as God will have it, I had a little bit of talent, just a little bit," he laughs. "And I landed my first commercial and my mum saw me on TV for the first time..."
The actor portraying Heimdall in the Marvel movie franchise goes on saying, "That was the pivotal moment for me because it was sort of like, you know, you can go for your dreams."
