The 'Beasts of No Nation' actor explains his aspirations to juggle Hollywood careers as an actor and director and dishes on why he wants to continue making music.
- December 30, 2022
AceShowbiz - Idris Elba believes it would be a "natural progression" to move into directing. While still passionate about his career in front of the camera, the "Luther" actor is looking ahead to the possibility of juggling more than one role on set at a time, citing Denzel Washington and Jon Favreau as inspirations.
"I love acting but I feel like there's much more to offer as a director, as a writer and a producer perhaps…I feel there are characters and roles that I haven't done yet and I still want to do those, but the truth is that I'd probably like to do that as an offering as a film director/actor," he said.
"There are some incredible people like Jon Favreau, like Denzel who have acted and directed, and directed themselves in movies and I feel like that's a natural progression for an actor. It turns out that it's 30 years I've been in the game already, it still feels like only yesterday. I love acting, don't get me wrong, but there are other things that I like to do."
Idris prides himself in always taking on different kinds of roles. He said in a recent podcast interview, "I've tried not to repeat myself as an actor, there's only one 'Luther' character, there's only one 'Beasts of No Nation' character. I try not to repeat anything."
And the 50-year-old star is also hoping to do more with his music career. He said, "I produce and I've always had a studio, so I'm a sort of self-taught producer, I sing a little bit but I'm no Jamie Foxx, don't get me wrong!"
"I like poetry and rap and so I feel like there's an offering in me in the form of an album, I've put out music before and varied types of music, but I definitely feel as though there's an outlet for me. When I'm writing and it comes to music, I feel a lot more free and at liberty to say what I want to say."
"As an actor, especially in this day and age, everyone is afraid of being cancelled or over-sharing ... In music I can say what I like, if I have an opinion I'll say it via my music and not feel worried about it, it's a different part of me, you're making music, you're in control of it, it's your narrative."
