Idris Elba Answers The Web's Most Searched Questions

My name is Idris Elba

and this is the Wired Auto Complete interview.

[slow rhythmic music]

I paused because I've done this before, so, you know.

Thank you.

What does Idris Elba eat?

I eat a lot of protein.

Eggs.

I like cereal, like bran flakes with raisins in it.

That's my favorite.

And I eat other stuff as well.

All right?

Did Idris Elba play soccer?

Yeah.

I actually played football.

We call it football in our part of the world.

I played from the time I was probably about five

all the way through high school and all of that.

I played into my twenties and Sunday League.

It was actually a rough league

where people get their legs broken all the time.

But I did play soccer.

Who is Idris Elba in The Wire?

I played a character called Stringer Bell,

who is essentially the right hand man to Avon Barksdale,

one of the most powerful drug dealers in The Wire.

Little known fact is that Stringer Bell

is actually based on someone that is real.

Who is Idris Elba in Thor?

In Thor, I play a character called Heimdall.

Heimdall is a very famous Asgardian.

There was a lot of controversy when I got the role

'cause I'm black and stuff and it was a bit shit.

But anyway, it's fine, we got over that.

Thank you.

Let's do some more.

What is Idris Elba DJ name?

When I first started DJing,

they used to call me Mr. Kipling.

That got shortened to Kippers.

When I went to America, I was Big Dris.

My mum used to call me DJ Idrico.

And then I went through a phase of just being Idris Elba.

And now people just call me Idris.

So my actual DJ, if you go to my Spotify, it's just Idris.

And that happened recently, by the way.

What does Idris Elba drive?

I drive a motorcycle, an electric one.

E Evolution, I think it's called.

It's a BMW.

Super quick.

Rapid.

If you've ever seen my film Hobbs & Shaw,

I play a character called Brixton Lore in it.

I ride a motorcycle in that.

It is faster than that bike.

But I also drive a electric car called an EQC.

I have orange leather interior.

Just so you know.

What football team does Idris Elba support?

I support the one and only Arsenal football team,

the best football team in England.

The only red team that you ever need to know about.

That is the Gunners.

Back in the day, I mean Arsenal went through

a really bad time.

We weren't on a winning streak.

But now, we're top of the league baby.

No need to Google that anymore.

Hey?

Here we go.

What kind of coat does Idris Elba wear in 'Luther?'

Actually the original Luther TV show, right, back in 2011,

I was wearing a Paul Smith Tweed coat.

Okay?

It's a very specific Scottish weave

and Paul Smith made only a few of them,

but the original coat got thrown

into the Thames River and so...

No spoilers.

All right.

Smooth.

How did Idris Elba get on The Office?

The truth is, I got on The Office because The Wire,

quite frankly.

The writers of B. J. Novak, big fan of The Wire,

and invited me to to come onto The Office.

As funny as I am, I don't get to do much comedy

and I was sort of invited.

I was beside myself that I got to play

with this really funny sitcom.

So that's how I got on The Office.

Can Idris Elba...

I bet this says sing.

Can Idris Elba switch accents?

No, I'm really bad at it.

Like, I've done it before with actors

that can do accents really quick and just switch,

and I just sound shockingly bad.

Something like Scottish.

I mean, Scottish is so...

No, I'm not even gonna try.

Was Idris Elba in 'Fast and The Furious?'

I was in Hobbs & Shaw,

which is a Fast and the Furious franchise.

Here's a question for you.

Which one was Hobbes and which one was Shaw?

Either way, I was in it.

I played Brixton Lore.

Okay, Was Idris Elba in 'Star Trek?'

I was.

I played a character called Krall.

He's from a different universe.

And every day I had to get up

around two o'clock in the morning,

go in and put on this prosthetic full head

and had it on all day.

And at the end of my day,

they had to peel it off really gently, really gently.

But on the last day of a sort of seven week shoot,

I filmed myself...

And it was horrific to watch 'cause I pulled it off my face

and it nearly pulled my eyebrows off, which was no fun.

So, there it is.

All right, thank you very much.

Smoother.

Does Idris Elba have tattoos?

Yes.

I have many tattoos.

I have some on my hands, you can see there.

Different parts of my life, sayings, meanings.

The first line of my favorite song on this arm,

which is a song called This Train

by a band called Culture.

And my kids' names are on here and here

and I have another saying here.

I've got tats.

I love tats.

Does Idris Elba take requests?

I do not take requests while I'm DJing.

I preset my playlist, you know?

I sort of put together like what I think I'm gonna play,

but I would take requests if I was at a party

where people could come to the DJ

and be like, Yo, have you got this?

I would take requests, but I don't usually.

Does Idris Elba play video games?

I do.

I am a gamer.

For sure, for sure.

I play what was formerly known as Fifa.

I play FC24.

I've been playing that game for 30 years,

since FIFA 95.

Like, the original, original Sega version.

I love that game.

I also play Street Fighter.

I love driving games.

I mean rally games are bonkers,

like, they're really difficult.

But I love a rally game.

Yeah, I'm a gamer.

Does Idris Elba make music?

I do make music.

I first started DJing, which was when I was 14 years old,

okay, and then when acting started, I couldn't DJ as much,

so I decided that I wanted to learn how to make music.

So I went off and bought my first drum machine,

which was a...

Here's one for the nerds.

Roland Groovebox.

And then I bought an MPC and then I bought an MC303.

Yeah baby.

I make music and now I have, like,

a little bit of a production team.

So I'll start the ideas off

and then my production team will help me finish up.

Boom.

Gonna place this one out gently.

Is Idris Elba a rapper?

I wouldn't consider myself a rapper,

let's just put it that way.

I just like making songs where I rap on.

My daughter's 22.

She's like, Dad, you need to quit.

But that's not true, actually.

She likes my music.

But thank you for googling that.

If you have Googled that, big up.

Is Idris Elba British?

Yes.

I actually don't drink tea.

I do drink chamomile tea and mint tea,

but I'm not a like a cup of tea bloke.

But I am British.

Was born there, man.

East London.

Is Idris Elba Knuckles' voice?

Yes, Idris Elba does play Knuckles.

The fans really love Knuckles

and I've had so much fun playing him,

so I'm very proud.

All right, here's the last one.

Is Idris Elba knighted?

No, I am not knighted.

However, I did receive my OBE,

which is an outstanding honorary

that the Queen gave to me.

It is quite a special thing.

Just so you know, I got an honorary doctorate degree

from Ravenscroft University, which I'm really proud of.

So, my sign off on my emails is DR. I.E. OBE.

Yeah baby.

Thank you so much.

Having such an amazing time.

Please keep Googling me.

Thank you guys, I'm giddy.

[crew laughing]

I'm Idris Elba'd out.

[rhythmic music]