Idris Elba Narrates Experience Of Being Held At Gun Point
By Afouda Bamidele on July 27, 2023 at 9:15 AM EDT
Idris Elba has revisited one of the most distressing moments from his life.
The acclaimed actor, recognized for his portrayals of action-hero characters in major Hollywood films, once faced a life-threatening situation when he was held at gunpoint while attempting to protect the gunman's girlfriend. He disclosed that the severity of the circumstance and its potential ramifications became evident at that moment, setting it apart from his experiences on film sets.
Idris Elba's Fears Became Evident When He Was Threatened By A Stranger & His Weapon
Elba, renowned for his roles in "Luther" and "The Wire," recounted a chilling incident where he was confronted at gunpoint during a troubling altercation in the United States. Speaking to Daily Mail recently, the superstar began:
"I nearly lost my f**king life after attempting to stop a man threatening his girlfriend outside a club. A guy (was) whaling on his missus, screaming in her face, 'I'll f**king kill you,' and so on. I come round, and I go, "Look how beautiful she is. Why would you talk to this beautiful princess like that?"
Unfortunately, his attempt to de-escalate the situation caused more harm, with the man misunderstanding the actor's intentions, thinking he was making advances toward his girlfriend. This misunderstanding led to the man pulling out a gun and pointing it directly at the Hackney-born star's face, demanding an explanation for his interaction with the woman.
"He thought I was trying to hit on her. I remember thinking, "Don't play negotiations like that… Consequences, man,'" Elba concluded without providing specific details regarding the time and location when the gun was pulled on him or how the remainder of the incident unfolded.
Over a year before he revealed the details of the scary hold-up, the "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" performer had touched on his humble beginning in the entertainment industry.
Per The Blast, the 50-year-old struggled to make ends meet and had various odd jobs, including working as a DJ and a comedy club bouncer to support himself. However, his financial situation remained challenging, leading him to sell weed to supplement his income. During an interview on Sirius XM's "The Jess Cagle Show," Elba said:
"I was running with cats. I mean, I was DJ'ing, but I was also pushing bags of weed; I was doing my work. I had to. I know that sounds corny, but this is the truth."
He then dropped additional information regarding his clientele, declaring, "I meet the comedians [now] that kind of remember the English guy. Tall English guy with the funny accent and the little hair. David Chappelle remembers me cause he used to buy weed from me! Anyway, moving on."
The comedian himself had admitted to buying marijuana from Elba after their initial meeting at Caroline's on Broadway, where the latter was working as a club doorman at the time.
The NAACP Image Award Winner Has No Interest In Taking Over THIS Famous Character
Fans' hearts were broken in March when Elba dismissed all claims about him taking over the role of James Bond, previously played by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Sir Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and most recently, Daniel Craig.
Rumors about the "Hijack" actor taking over the role started after Craig exited the franchise. However, those hopes were dashed when he addressed the speculations, stating, "I love the Bond franchise; I'm very close to the producers. We were all kind of laughing about the rumors because they are just that."
He clarified that while he could not speak on behalf of the producers, from his perspective, there has never been any truth to the notion surrounding him becoming the next James Bond.
Besides fans' expectation of him taking on the lead role, the buzz around his potential casting was doubled when Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal mentioned in a leaked 2014 email that she believed "Idris should be the next Bond."
The excitement heightened further when Barbara Broccoli, the lead producer of the popular franchise, stated during a podcast appearance in 2022 that the Order of the British Empire recipient had been part of their discussions from the beginning. However, at that time, the only hindrance was Craig's presence as the lead. In her words:
"I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has kind of had its run and Daniel has been able to, well, we've all been able to, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about or talk about anybody else, actors to play the role or storylines or anything. We just wanna live in the moment, the present."
