56+ Idris Elba Quotes (Charismatic, Versatile And Iconic)

Idris Elba is an English actor, producer, musician, and DJ. He is best known for his roles in the films The Wire, Beasts of No Nation, and Thor. He has also starred in several television series, including Luther and The Office.

Top 10 Idris Elba Quotes

1. What an honor it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world.
2. I love working. I'm a workaholic and I'm really privileged for some of the jobs I get offered and so I just want to keep going.
3. The only thing I change mainly is my sneakers. I love sneakers. But everything's sort of black or jeans. Jeans, always.
4. The audience loves it when you pay attention to details.
5. [Sometimes] I sit in front of my [gaming] console with my headphones on and I play. I love that. It's a nice form of escapism.
6. 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.
7. My definition of bad-ass is that I'm a force of nature and true spirit. I'm self-admitting that, and it sounds vain to say that, but I am.
8. It could be Grammy night, Oscar night, whatever - I don't feel the pressure to be there.
9. Nobody likes a celebrity DJ for the sake of style, so I don't do that - I try to be good at what I do. It's all about resetting, it's my escape. It is work, it's a job, but I just love doing it.
10. Being able to work with Ridley Scott on this film is like being able to play on the Olympic team for actors.

Idris Elba Short Quotes

• I've got two smoking guns that just look incredible, and I love to pull them out whenever I can.
• People watch three or four episodes at a time of their shows.
• Working at BBC, at the head of one of the top dramas, is a tradition for great actors.
• I was in The Wire for three years, and I left at the highlight of that.
• There has been a big debate about it: can a black man play a Nordic character?
• Television is where I cut my teeth.
• The directors [who know every detail] make films that are complete, basically.
• Waking up in TRUTH is so much better than living in a lie.
• The less I talk about being black, the better.
• In some countries, no one knows who Idris Elba is.

Idris Elba Famous Quotes And Sayings

As much as it's nice to step into that massive world of Hollywood and be a big, famous actor, I prefer the career of actors that have really chosen smartly and done really amazing performances. Maybe they're not as known, but their careers are a bit more interesting. — Idris Elba

Even when I went to America I didn't work for four years. It wasn't like I came to New York and it was the land of milk and honey. It was just as much of a hard graft. But there's a lot more opportunity nowadays across the board for actors, no matter what color you are, with the Internet and small productions. — Idris Elba

I come from an era, in my world, where you just had to define yourself as who you are and what you do. I happen to be an actor. I happen to be someone that loves to act, that also likes music, that also likes to speak, and that also has an opinion. — Idris Elba

We're all human beings. Experience is experience, let's just be honest. Let's not try and dissect suffering into a race, or whatever you want to call it. We're all human beings, one way or another. All races have gone through times that are challenging; that's part of being a human. — Idris Elba

The adrenaline feeling of jumping out of cliffs and bikes and all of that is very specific to the film. In 'Pac Rim' I'm not doing that so much. There isn't that touch stonework for me in it, but there is a lot of action. — Idris Elba

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

I wanted to be on American TV so much. I didn't park DJ'ing; I just sort of ended up becoming more of a studio guy. I had a bit more money and I could buy every little piece of equipment and drum machine that had just come out - I've got quite a collection now - and I continued to collect music. — Idris Elba

I'll always be attached to telly in one way or another, whether it's a character or producer or director, I just love the medium. — Idris Elba

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

I watch my daughter wanting to be like other kids and getting upset that she's not. But I always try and instill in her the idea that she's perfect as she is. — Idris Elba

I'm not a popular actor. I don't necessarily want to be famous. I want to be known for great work. I want to be known to surprise audiences. — Idris Elba

I'm never shaken or stirred. — Idris Elba

My Father always told me that a fool at 40 is a fool for life. — Idris Elba

I've always been DJing; it's just I'm making more of a push for it, making it more public. — Idris Elba

When you come from an under-privileged background, oftentimes, you feel a little overwhelmed by your education or your lack of. — Idris Elba

There are things that I really find important, and that we need to remind ourselves of. When you think about disability, do you really think about it? Someone who's a full-time trainer or a boxer, someone who's got a major disability, but who doesn't let that get in his way, that's a really good message for someone who is able-bodied. It can make them think, 'Wow, I suppose I could be doing better for myself.' — Idris Elba

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

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

I'm rebelling against being handed a career, like, 'You're the next this; you're the next that.' I'm not the next anything, I'm the first me. I can't be myself, I can't just be Idris Elba. But that's just the nature of the business. — Idris Elba

I find that a lot of actors who are good and open to challenges have lived a full life. When you walk into an audition, you have more to say for yourself because you come from the real world. It's more enticing for directors, I think. — Idris Elba

Imagine a film such as Inception with an entire cast of black people - do you think it would be successful? Would people watch it? But no one questions the fact that everyone's white. That's what we have to change. — Idris Elba

The role of my agent has just been to get me in the room. If I can get in the room - say the character is just a charming man who lives next door - then I'll walk in there and be as charming as I can and they will think to themselves, 'I don't see why we can't cast him. — Idris Elba

One of my first jobs was in a soap opera, five days a week. And what I found is, although there are different directors coming in and different crews, you just lived in your character. It's the nature of the story, the ongoing story, and it can get deeper and deeper. — Idris Elba

What kind of role do you play after someone like Stringer, you know what I mean? You play another gangster. What’s the point of that? I’ve played the gangster. I try to keep it really varied; it just makes for more of a fun and interesting career. — Idris Elba

You know, film is the ultimate goal in an actor's career. I mean, I still love TV. I have my feet firmly stamped in it. But my opportunities have been bigger and better. — Idris Elba

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

You’re directing a movie, but you are at the head of a ship of people, a whole fleet of people. And being able to manage that - being able to handle yourself as a director being a leader - that’s massively important. — Idris Elba

The long and short of it is that I am now in a position in England to green light movies, and that's really excellent - not high-budget movies, but movies none the less. — Idris Elba

Some directors hand over portions of their movie to their head of department to the point where it's like, "I'm not going to talk to you about the costumes, but I'm going to let you talk to the expert." Rather than, "You want to talk stitching, let's talk stitching. You want to talk grade of leather? Let's." — Idris Elba

Actors tend to not know how their performances are going to actually be used. Even though the script says one thing, in the edit, it can be something else. — Idris Elba

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

What I like about their films is that you actually feel the momentum of whatever they're shooting. So, if someone's falling out a window, it gives the opportunity to show what that might feel like. — Idris Elba

Bond? It is a bit like saying, 'Do you want to play Superman?' Anyone would dream of it. It's one of the most coveted roles in film. I'd be honoured. But I don't know if it will actually happen. I'm just happy with the idea of being associated with it. It's nice there's a lot of good will. — Idris Elba

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

Television, for me, is a medium that I'm probably always going to be attached to, one way or another. — Idris Elba

It was deeply important for me to understand where Mandela came from. Because we know where he was going, and that's a famous story, but who was he? Where did he come from? What was his upbringing? — Idris Elba

Life Lessons by Idris Elba

1. Idris Elba has shown that hard work and dedication can lead to success, no matter what obstacles you may face.
2. He has also demonstrated the importance of staying true to yourself and your values, even when faced with difficult decisions.
3. Idris Elba has also shown that it is possible to achieve success in multiple fields, and that it is important to never give up on your dreams.