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Idris Elba Quotes
Idris Elba Quotes
Idris Elba
British
Actor
Born:
Sep 6
,
1972
About
Black
Love
Me
People
You
Related authors:
Alan Rickman
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Radcliffe
Henry Cavill
Jason Statham
John Hurt
Karl Pilkington
Tim Curry
I'm an ambitious person. I never consider myself in competition with anyone, and I'm not saying that from an arrogant standpoint, it's just that my journey started so, so long ago, and I'm still on it and I won't stand still.
Idris Elba
Saying
Myself
Journey
Competition
My Journey
Long
Arrogant
Consider
Never
Still
Ambitious
Person
Just
Anyone
Stand
Standpoint
Started
Not obsessed with particularly Nike, but sneakers in general. I love them.
Idris Elba
Love
Nike
General
Obsessed
Particularly
Sneakers
Them
I was cast in 'Thor' and I'm cast as a Nordic god. If you know anything about the Nords, they don't look like me but there you go. I think that's a sign of the times for the future. I think we will see multi-level casting. I think we will see that, and I think that's good.
Idris Elba
Future
God
Good
Me
You
Will
Think
Thor
Sign
See
About
Cast
Casting
Like
Know
Look
Go
Times
Anything
There has been a big debate about it: can a black man play a Nordic character?
Idris Elba
Character
Man
Debate
Black
Big
Has-Been
About
Been
Play
I would never be fearful of any character.
Idris Elba
Character
Would
Fearful
Never
Any
I still sing on bits and pieces. Singing's something that I love to do, but it's not something that I pursue as a career.
Idris Elba
Love
Singing
Bits
Bits And Pieces
Something
Pursue
Pieces
Sing
Still
Career
It's really funny because the same people who loved me as Stringer Bell were the same people that were watching 'Daddy's Little Girls' literally in tears.
Idris Elba
Funny
Me
People
Tears
Girl
Because
Were
Same
Literally
Loved
Little
Little Girls
Really
Who
Daddy
Bell
Watching
Every single film I've done, it's about the character.
Idris Elba
Character
Single
Every
About
Done
Film
Television has shied away from being too dark, because so much has happened to us recently here in the West, and people are sort of wanting to see more uplifting sorts of things.
Idris Elba
People
Dark
Too
Television
See
More
Sort
Because
West
Uplifting
Being
Wanting
Happened
Us
Much
Away
Things
Here
Recently
I lived in America for a long time before I started working as an actor. Some actors show up on set and have never done an American accent before, so they rely on a slew of technical mechanisms. Part of what makes an accent is understanding why people speak that way - you have to understand the culture.
Idris Elba
Time
You
Culture
People
Speak
Long
Long Time
Understanding
Before
Way
Some
Rely
Never
Part
Accent
Makes
Understand
Up
America
American
American Accent
Done
Working
Show
Mechanisms
Lived
Actor
Technical
Why
Started
Set
I try to fit in workouts whenever I can.
Idris Elba
Try
Fit
Whenever
Workouts
I have one of these bodies. When I was younger, I could never put weight on, and now that I'm a little older, there's a natural sort of chubbiness coming. But honestly, if I work out for a week, it drops off in no time.
Idris Elba
Work
Time
Natural
Older
Honestly
Out
Week
Could
No Time
Never
Weight
Put
Drops
Sort
Coming
Off
Little
Younger
Work Out
Bodies
Now
White actors still get way more money in Hollywood. It's been that way for a very long time. I hope it'll change, but it's a matter of forcing that change.
Idris Elba
Hope
Time
Change
Money
Matter
Long
Long Time
Forcing
White
Way
More
Still
Been
Very
Very Long Time
Get
Hollywood
Actor
I was on a well-beaten path of actors - what we all call 'the Law and Order route'. I spent two years of auditioning for everything... and then 'The Wire' came up.
Idris Elba
Law
Path
Everything
Spent
Law And Order
Wire
Call
Auditioning
Came
Years
Up
Order
Then
Actor
Route
Two
I think there's a tendency for actors like myself, and I don't mean to generalize myself, but I've played 'men's men,' if you will, characters that are simmering rage and calculated. There's a trend not to play anything that is opposed to that.
Idris Elba
Myself
You
Trend
Will
Men
Rage
Think
Characters
Tendency
Generalize
Calculated
Like
Opposed
Anything
Mean
Actor
Play
Played
I was really ambitious, so I was innovative. I was one of the first DJs to do live calls, 'cause I found this phone device that would pick up other people's voices.
Idris Elba
People
Phone
Cause
First
Live
Other
Innovative
Would
Voices
Pick
Device
Calls
Up
Ambitious
Really
Found
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 it.
Idris Elba
Good
Me
Big
Whatever
Doubting
Considered
About
Football
Because
Were
Questions
Listen
Just
Anyone
It's weird because my parents don't really understand my business. I get fan mail all day long, but if a piece happens to get to their house, they're like, 'Oh, my God, you've got a fan! You have to write them back. You have to do it!'
Idris Elba
God
Day
You
Business
Long
Parents
Back
All Day
Write
Mail
Weird
Like
Piece
House
Because
Understand
Got
Get
Oh
Oh My God
Fan
Fan Mail
Happens
Them
Really
If I was gonna go to jail, I don't want to go to jail for stealing a bottle of water. I'll steal that $20 million. At least then it was worth it.
Idris Elba
Water
Worth
Worth It
Steal
Stealing
Bottle
Least
Go
Jail
Want
Gonna
Then
Million
The only thing I change mainly is my sneakers. I love sneakers. But everything's sort of black or jeans. Jeans, always.
Idris Elba
Love
Change
Black
Everything
Only
Mainly
Sort
Always
Sneakers
The Only Thing
Jeans
Thing
I think 'The Wire' really is relatable. It reflects an ongoing issue across America, about inaccuracies in major cities between rich and the poor and some of the things that go on behind the red tape of council and government bodies.
Idris Elba
Government
Rich
Think
Cities
Some
About
Ongoing
Council
Wire
Red
Between
Major
Red Tape
Issue
Go
Tape
Reflects
America
Behind
Poor
Really
Bodies
Across
Things
When I look at my body of work, I've played a lot of characters who are morally conflicted - 'I'm right, no I'm wrong, I don't know what to do!' I want to play more characters who don't care as much, and who aren't as measured. They are what they are, no apologies.
Idris Elba
Work
Care
Characters
Morally
More
Wrong
Know
Look
Lot
dont Care
Want
Much
Body
Apology
Measured
Who
Play
Right
Played
I knew that if I wanted to be all I could be, I would have to go to the U.S. It took three years to get the accent right.
Idris Elba
Three
Took
Would
Could
Knew
Accent
Go
Years
Get
Wanted
Right
Africans, we hold on to our youths and whip them into shape.
Idris Elba
Our
Shape
African
Hold
Whip
Them
Youths
The less I talk about being black, the better.
Idris Elba
Better
Black
About
Talk
Being
Less
I'd rather a young black actor read about success as opposed to how tough it was. I get these roles because I can act and that's it. Hopefully that's it.
Idris Elba
Success
Black
Tough
Young
Hopefully
About
Rather
Read
Because
How
Opposed
Get
Roles
Act
Actor
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