Idris Elba’s fear of Stringer Bell, and why he’ll never end up like him
A self-proclaimed actor-DJ-musician-heart-throb-comedian-podcaster-dad, Idris Elba is a man of many, many talents, while also being a vocal activist and taking on knife violence in the UK.
He’s made an identity for himself as a down-to-earth, warm and dad-like presence, all while being one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors; his lovable personality become a bankable asset in his career. His performances as the brilliant but troubled detective John Luther and the loyal and trusted Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to his role as the original peacemaker himself, Nelson Mandela, in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, find him playing the hero, however, that’s not what broke ground for his career.
In fact, Elba rose to fame as the second-in-command to a ruthless drug kingpin in the 2002 HBO masterpiece, The Wire. Set in early 2000s Baltimore, the show charts the city’s criminal underworld through various public institutions across the city, from shipping docks to schools, and their connection to law enforcement and government. Running until 2009, The Wire was loosely based on the experience of the show’s writer, David Simon, a former police reporter, and his writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher.
Elba’s role as Russell ‘Stringer’ Bell, a shrewd and business-savvy right-hand man to the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale, transformed the actor into a dark and manipulative criminal who changed the face of the Barksdale Organisation by enrolling in university economics courses, investing in real estate, and developing political connections. The name Stringer Bell was actually a composite of two real Baltimore criminals, Stringer Reed and Roland Bell.
Stringer Bell was so scary that even the actor feared him and everything that he stood for, worrying that he might someday end up like him, a surprising fear for someone who evidently couldn’t be more unlike the character. But speaking to Esquire back in 2023, he admitted his insecurities about losing everything he had achieved.
“I always felt like, ‘Damn, this guy was going places, he was fucking smart, everyone liked him, and he got moped out’,” reflected Elba, adding, “I always feel like that could be me. I could get run over, I could get stabbed, I could get shot. I could get an illness. Nothing’s permanent.”
The only child of immigrants, where Elba’s father moved to the UK from Sierra Leone at 33, and his mother, born in Ghana, was 26, he has been vocal about his roots as a boy from the East London council estate who followed his dreams of being an actor to New York after enrolling in the National Youth Theatre.
Despite his success as one of the biggest Hollywood actors of his generation, the actor clearly still gets imposter syndrome, which is perhaps why he has been so vocal about helping others through his philanthropy work, including with the Prince’s Trust and BFI, both organisations where he has worked to champion Black, working-class voices onscreen.
In his latest project with John Cena for Amazon Prime, the pair play US and UK heads of state, respectively, and enemies in an action comedy where they must put their differences aside to save their countries. Safe to say, Idris Elba, the gentle giant with his passion for activism, groovy DJ sets and fashionable attire, is simply much too nice to end up like Stringer Bell.
