Idris Elba’s three most important acting influences: “The list goes on”
For the past two decades or so, Idris Elba has slowly but surely built himself up as one of the most must-have names on the acting circuit roster.
From his early days playing criminals in recreations for the TV show Crimewatch to the global fame he achieved through The Wire, Luther, and his numerous film roles, he is now one of the most recognisable faces on the planet. That face is also incredibly popular as he regularly turns up in lists of ‘Sexiest Men Alive’ and the like.
Being incredibly famous—and handsome—comes with many perks. Elba has shared the screen with some of the biggest stars in all of Hollywood. His role in Prometheus put him alongside Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and Guy Pearce, while he also squared off against both Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the ridiculous punch-a-thon Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Of all the great performers out there, three stand out as having made the biggest impact on Elba’s career. “There’s a few actors that are my influence,” he said on the red carpet for his film Luther: Fallen Sun, “Rob[ert] De Niro was a big influence. Denzel [Washington] was definitely a big influence. Meryl Streep—big influence. I mean the list goes on.”
Of all the names on this list, Washington’s makes the most sense. A number of high-profile Black actors have spoken about how big an influence the Training Day star has had on them, and in terms of representation in the film industry as a whole. He is among the first Black performers to have regularly landed leading roles in big Hollywood productions and was just the second Black man in history to win an Oscar in 1990. Elba had the honour of being killed by his hero during a scene in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster.
As for De Niro, his inclusion shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. Elba named Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas as one of his four favourite films. The movie, of course, features old ‘Bobby’ in one of his most famous roles, the scheming gangster Jimmy Conway. He also tells a story about trying to scam his way into the star’s office during the filming of his directorial debut, A Bronx Tale, but was denied by his producer. This was the closest he’s ever come to co-starring with the double Academy Award-winner.
“My celebrity crush is Meryl Streep,” Elba told Us Weekly, revealing that his “tongue swelled up in his mouth” when he first met her. He was right to feel intimidated by her presence. Streep has been the living example of acting excellence for five decades. She’s the most nominated performer in Oscars history at 21 times—in case you were wondering, and has more awards in her trophy case than most of us have hairs on our head. Elba has yet to work with her either, which is probably a good thing for the sake of his tongue.
He might have only collaborated with one of them (so far), but it’s clear that these three titans of cinema mean more to Elba than any of us could ever understand, even if one of them did shoot him in the head.
