Idris Elba names the most badass role he’s ever played: “He’d slap Luther to death”
As the world waits for news of the next James Bond, the name Idris Elba continues to be part of the conversation, even with claims that he’s too old or the ridiculous notion that the world isn’t ready for a Black Bond, remaining a perennial favourite to step into the shoes of 007.
Elba, who was recently knighted for “services to young people”, has seemingly been in training for the role his entire career. While he’s never played Bond, he has played many other characters with very similar traits, with the obvious comparison with DCI John Luther, star of the TV show Luther.
The titular detective is a grizzled agent of justice who has to overcome significant personal issues to get the job done, and, much like Bond, is a character defined by his toughness and resolve. However, according to an interview conducted by Time Out, Elba thinks there are two of his other alter egos that are far more suited to a bit of rough and tumble.
“I have two characters that I love playing, [Suicide Squad’s] Bloodsport and Hobbs and Shaw’s Brixton,” he said, “If you want some thrills and spills and some fucking badassery, Brixton is the guy. He’d slap Luther to death; he’s a monster. I really love that character. Bloodsport has got a lot of potential in that superhero space, too.”
Born out of the feud between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, Hobbs and Shaw is a spin-off of the Fast and Furious franchise where Johnson reprises his role as Luke Hobbs, joined by former villain Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham, while Elba’s character, the improbably named Brixton Lore, is the villain of the piece.
Brixton is a cybernetically enhanced bioterrorist intent on releasing a deadly virus into the world, who is capable of extreme feats of strength and endurance, as demonstrated when he survives being crushed by a giant tower (and here we thought it would be all about cars like its parent franchise).
On the other hand, Robert ‘Bloodsport’ BuBois is part of the titular gang in James Gunn’s version of The Suicide Squad, who, similar to Brixton, wears a high-tech suit that allows him to fashion weapons out of thin air.
While both of these characters have as much nuance as a flaming brick through a window, Elba isn’t wrong when he says they would beat the bejeezus out of DCI Luther; Bloodsport has his roots in comic books, but Brixton is basically a superhero in his own right, with the character even referring to himself as ‘Black Superman’ in the film. In this, while the Bond franchise has gone in a more realistic direction in recent years, there are still elements of the character that defy regular logic.
Most actors like to harp on about playing characters with depth, so it’s actually quite refreshing to hear Elba praise a creation whose sole purpose is to punch people really hard and look cool doing so; at least he’s being honest.
