Category: Idris Elba

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Idris Elba on his 50s: ‘Your influences change… I’m not getting as easily influenced’

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While I haven’t been a dedicated viewer/listener to Amy Poehler’s Good Hang pod, I have enjoyed the hell out of every episode I’ve listened to. She’s a great interviewer and she has an easy chemistry with every single one of her guests. In previous episodes, she’s interviewed some of her closest friends and most beloved coworkers, but in this week’s episode, she chatted with John Cena (who was a costar) and Idris Elba, who she doesn’t really know. Cena hyped Idris hard in his interview (they’re costars in Head of State), and then Idris came into the “studio” in person and he and Amy got along really well (the Idris part starts around the 9:50 mark).

The whole section about being Virgos took me OUT!! Amy is a Virgo, Idris is a Virgo, Idris questions the Virgo-ness of being a Virgo, which Amy correctly points out is a Peak Virgo trait. Then they’re both like, hey, Beyonce is a Virgo so it’s a pretty cool Virgo club, right? Which is true. Hugh Grant is also a Virgo, so are Sydney Sweeney, Chris Pine, Zendaya and like half of all lawyers. Amy called out Idris for believing in aliens “but not astrology,” lmao. They get into talking about being born in the early 1970s and growing up as Gen Xers, and what their 50s are like:

Idris Elba is getting real about some of the challenges of aging. The Heads of State actor, 52, opened up to Amy Poehler on the latest episode of her Good Hang podcast, where they discussed being in their 50s — both the good and the bad.

“I don’t love that, at this age, the age of [having] wellness and consciousness, is so upon us, yet our bodies fail us,” said Elba. Agreed Poehler, 53, “The biggest bummer,” joking in addition, “I mean, the fact that you can get hurt just getting out of bed.”

On the flip side, Elba said that for their generation, “Some of the coolest things — art, music, culture, some of the craziest world politics that set the dynamics for where we are right now — all happened when our emotions were blossoming, and our adolescence was growing.”

Another plus of his age now? “Your influences change,” Elba said later. “I think in my 30s and 40s, I was blowing with the wind a little bit with what was influencing me, what my goals were. And in the 50s, I’m like, ‘Nah. That wind has to pass around me.’ I’m not getting as easily influenced,” explained the 2018 PEOPLE Sexiest Man Alive.

At 52, Elba is also “not afraid of difficult things, or challenges that make me uncomfortable.”

“And to choose your own discomfort is like a privilege at our age,” Poehler noted, laughing. ” ‘It’s gonna be uncomfortable, but I’m gonna be in charge of it.’ “

[From People]

I’m from the microgeneration behind Gen X – Xennial – but I’ve felt my waning interest in whatever the youth-culture is at whatever moment. Like, I still like to hear the new music and dip my toe into whatever cultural discourse is happening, but yeah – I am no longer subject to being “influenced.” And yes, the “wellness” movement being pushed on people in their 40s and 50s… it sucks ass.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Good Hang screengrabs.

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King Charles & Idris Elba are doing a documentary together… for Netflix!!

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People don’t remember this, but the Windsors’ beef with Netflix actually began before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a lucrative production deal with the streamer in 2020. The Windsors were wringing their tea towels like crazy over The Crown series, especially after the first two seasons. As soon as the cast transitioned over to Olivia Colman as the queen and Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, the various royal courts (mostly Charles’s office) would not shut up about how Netflix is horrid and The Crown gets everything wrong all the time. Incidentally, Charles’s pressure campaign worked long-term, as the last two seasons were basically pro-Charles propaganda. The Windsors’ beef with Netflix was definitely taken to another level when the Sussexes signed their deal though, and for the past five years, we’ve heard over and over again that it’s tacky, unroyal, gauche and completely unacceptable to work for Netflix. Well, guess who’s working with Netflix? King Charles. Becky English’s original Daily Mail headline was: “King Charles teams up with Netflix for new documentary starring Idris Elba – after Prince Harry and Meghan’s £80billion mega-deal ‘flopped’.” Netflix paid Harry & Meghan 80 BILLION pounds? Damn.

His son’s offerings for the streaming giant have almost universally flopped. But that hasn’t stopped Netflix signing up another member of the Royal Family – none other than the King himself. The firm today announced a ‘major new partnership’ between King Charles and Hollywood star Idris Elba for a new documentary film exploring the impact of The King’s Trust as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

As a young man, Idris Elba was the beneficiary of a grant from the Trust, then known as The Prince’s Trust, which the actor openly says changed his life and enabled him to study acting. Idris will accompany The King as he offers ‘rare access and insights’ into his support for the Trust – which he set up in 1976 with his modest naval pension to change the lives of disadvantaged young people – over the past five decades.

At its heart will be the ‘compelling’ stories of some of the one million young people the charity has gone on to help around the world. The documentary begins filming next week and will launch on Netflix in Autumn 2026. It is produced by 22 Summers, a production company founded by Idris Elba and Diene Petterle. The director is the BAFTA award-winning Ashley Francis-Roy and boasts executive producers including Eva Omaghom, who previously worked for the king for many years including as his ‘diversity tzar’. The production team will include young people supported by the Trust to build experience in film and television.

Elba said: ‘The King’s Trust gave me an opportunity that changed my life. At a time when I didn’t have the resources to pursue my ambitions, they offered real, practical support – including financial help – that helped me take those first steps to advance my career. Today, through the Elba Hope Foundation, I’m focused on creating those same opportunities for young people who are full of potential but lacking access. Around the world, millions are still waiting for that one door to open. This documentary is about shining a light on what’s possible when it does — and why the work of The King’s Trust remains so important.’

The King will not give an interview to the documentary crew but will, it is understood, be filmed ‘in conversation’ with other participants. A Palace aide said: ‘The King is pleased for The Trust to have this wonderful opportunity to showcase their work to a global audience, sharing the compelling stories of some of the more than one million young people it has helped in Britain and internationally over the past 50 years.’

Harry and Meghan signed their own deal with Netflix back in 2020 when they acrimoniously left the royal family in pursuit of their fortunes in the US.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’ve already seen some knives out for Idris, but let me just say… Idris has long been associated with the Prince’s Trust, now the King’s Trust. Idris has been an ambassador for years and years, and he genuinely believes in it, and believes that kids should have more scholarships and opportunities. Idris is working his own angle, and it’s an angle of “helping out young people.” Sure, he’s being used by Charles, and Idris knows that. But it is what it is.

As for the Netflix documentary… lmao. It’s just too funny. It shows that they know their dumb little royal propaganda documentaries aren’t getting the coverage or attention. Harry and Meghan are the blueprint, even for Charles and Camilla. As for all of this sh-t about the Sussexes “flopping” at Netflix… Netflix is literally in business with Meghan and As Ever. Netflix is MINTING money off of the Sussexes. Netflix has so much money, they’ll throw a fraction of it at Charles as they roll their eyes. I’ve already seen people saying sh-t like “oh, this will piss off Harry and Meghan!” Why would they be pissed off at Charles copying Harry in a really sad way?

BILLION??? Also, lmao pic.twitter.com/VvYkf7ApjF

— Kaiser@Celebitchy (@KaiseratCB) June 20, 2025

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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Idris Elba Prince William royals

Prince William went solo to the Tusk Awards & hung out with Idris Elba

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The headline of choice: “Prince William shows off full beard at glitzy awards show as Princess Kate stays home.” It’s true, the Princess of Wales has absolutely been benched from evening events, events which would see her wearing a gown or tiara or both. That being said, Kate never comes to anything involved with the Tusk Trust. That’s one of William’s patronages and it’s associated with Jecca Craig and her family. Thus, Kate hasn’t attended any Tusk events in well over a decade.

Anyway, these are photos of William on Wednesday night, at the Tusk Conservation Awards. William made a speech and he handed out conservation awards. This was a rare Tusk event with celebrities, just going from memory. Idris Elba was there, as was Ronnie Wood. I’m not surprised that Idris showed up to an event associated with William – Idris is actually friendly with several members of the Windsor clan, and he’s some kind of ambassador for the King’s Trust (formerly the Prince’s Trust). Meanwhile, William made another big reveal about his children:

Prince William is happy his son Prince Louis is learning a new hobby, although it may be hurting his ears. While speaking to Rolling Stones bassist Ronnie Wood and former Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler at the Tusk Awards at The Savoy in London on Wednesday, Nov. 27, the Prince of Wales, 42, admitted he has a budding musician on his hands with his 6-year-old, according to The Telegraph.

“My youngest is learning the drums. That’s why I spend my entire life with my fingers in my ears,” William told Wood, 77, and Knopfler, 75.

William also shares Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, 9, with his wife Kate Middleton.

During the event, the prince presented the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa, the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa and the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award.

[From People]

The way William and Kate talk about their kids’ interests and hobbies, I feel like they’re just lying constantly to try to relate to whoever they’re speaking to. If William chatted with a NASA scientist, it would have been “George wants to go to the moon, he’s obsessed.” If Kate chatted with a lawyer, it would have been “Charlotte is studying the law, she loves tort law!” So George is playing the drums now because Huevo spoke to a Rolling Stone.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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Idris Elba

Idris Elba: ‘I stopped describing myself as a Black actor… it put me in a box’

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When this first came out, I saw the big headline from Idris Elba’s Esquire interview and I was like “ugh, do I even want to cover this?” It took me a while to sit down and read the whole thing and remember why I like Idris so much. Everything he says in this piece has a particular context- he’s the only child of African immigrants, he’s experienced profound racism in the UK, he found better work in America, but he still returned to the UK to raise his kids. That’s the context for Idris saying that he doesn’t consider himself to be a “Black actor.” I get it, but I also get why people want to talk about it and argue about it. Some highlights from Esquire UK (he’s promoting Luther: The Fallen Sun, just FYI).

Turning 50: “Every day is my birthday. I didn’t make a big deal out of it. Physically I feel fine. Things move slower. You definitely feel those aches and bumps. But then, I always have. I live an extreme lifestyle, I guess.”

The only child: “I’m the same person I always was. Only child. And I’m still an only child, even though I’ve got a lot more people around me. Introspection has always been a part of me, since I was conscious. That introspection is still very alive now. And I feel very connected to that young guy, who was very ambitious in his thoughts. Curious, always curious.

African culture, British culture: “Although I was born in England, the first culture I experienced was Sierra Leonean. The food, the environment, the music, the clothes, the attitude to the weather. All my experiences were West African first, then UK culture. I love being English, I love the culture here, I grew up here, I became a man in England, I’m very attached to it. But at the same time, I’ve also got another culture, which is African, Sierra Leonean specifically. I’m really thankful for it.

Race and racism: “I’m always curious why this is fascinating to people. It’s a question I get asked a lot. I don’t go to my Black friends, in conversation, and ask them to tell me about racism. Have I ever faced racism? Yeah. I’m not any more Black because I’m in a white area, or more Black because I’m in a Black area. I’m Black. And that skin stays with me no matter where I go, every day, through Black areas with white people in it, or white areas with Black people in it. I’m the same Black.

He no longer calls himself a Black actor: If we spent half the time not talking about the differences but the similarities between us, the entire planet would have a shift in the way we deal with each other. As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be. I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realised it put me in a box. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin. Rant over.

He’s still a member of the Black community: “Of course, I’m a member of the Black community. You say a prominent one. But when I go to America, I’m a prominent member of the British community. “Oh, UK’s in the house!”

Living & working in America for years: “New York was a pilgrimage. America was this shiny dream-state. Look at the scale of it! Look at the music, look at the culture! Look at the TV, film, magazines! I was 17, 18. You just felt the opportunities. You could start off with a dollar, in New York, and rise. That was real. That’s why I went. Is that the same America we’re looking at today? Perhaps not. Things have changed. But I’m looking at it through 50-year-old eyes now.

He loves working in America: “America gave me technical understanding of my craft. It was an enhancement. I learnt a lot. American actors have always been great. The works of Shakespeare live in a world of wonderment, poetry, fairytale, the language of beauty and eloquence. The performer uses a skillset that amplifies that. There is an air and a grace to it that a good English actor has to understand. In America, in an Arthur Miller play, you might get a guy who’s just a guy. Guy from Pennsylvania, guy from New York. Just a guy. A human. American actors had this connection with real life. The accent and the cadence of the words in America allows for a really interesting flow of thoughts.

[From Esquire]

What I found interesting was how much he talked about living a particular kind of American dream and how much he loves America… while speaking to a British publication. British actors often get punished in the British press for being too pro-America, even if those actors are getting much better opportunities in America. Still, I guess Idris gets points for moving back to the UK. As for what he says about “I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realised it put me in a box. We’ve got to grow” – I get it. He’s not denying his race or what have you, he’s saying that his language changed in how he describes himself and thinks of his career. It’s the whole idea behind “colorblind casting,” I guess – it’s not that Idris will stop playing Black characters, it’s that he doesn’t want to ONLY get scripts which are exclusively written for Black actors.

Covers courtesy of Esquire.

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Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga at the LACMA Art + Film gala: surprisingly okay?

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Here are some photos from Saturday’s LACMA Art Film gala, a gala for which a lot of A-listers came out to play. Kim Kardashian attended several of these galas when she was married to Kanye, but she hasn’t been to one since 2018. So we’re getting Divorced Kim, free from her antisemitic husband. She eschewed Gucci (the sponsor of the event) and went with Balenciaga. She’s been all about Balenciaga in the past year. I honestly like the dress? It’s flattering and well-tailored. I hate her hair though. I wish she would give up the blonde. It’s looking kind of ratty these days.

Kendall Jenner wore Burc Akyol, an emerging designer. Her dress is… eh. It looks like she’s wearing electrical tape around her belly button. But good for her for wearing an emerging designer.

Jodie Turner Smith is a long-time Gucci girl and of course they gave her a good Gucci look. Very flapper, very Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

Damiano David and Maneskin. I am in love with Damiano and I wish Gucci had given him a cape.

Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina look like they’re inviting us to be a third in their bed. YES. The answer is YES.

Photos courtesy of Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon and Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon.

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Idris Elba’s daughter Isan auditioned for ‘Beast’ but wasn’t cast as his daughter

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This ^ is a photo of Idris Elba and his 20-year-old daughter Isan. She’s a beauty! Idris often invites Isan to his premieres, and she’s a regular on his red carpets. She’s something of a Gen Z influencer and fashionista, and I guess she’s trying to break into acting too. Well, the photo above was taken at the recent New York premiere of Beast, Idris’s latest movie. In the movie, Idris and his two daughters are hunted by a “rogue lion.” Isan auditioned to play the role of the older daughter in the film. She wasn’t cast! Idris didn’t pull any strings to get her cast either. Instead, he went with the director’s assessment that Idris and Isan didn’t have the father-daughter vibe he wanted.

Idris Elba stars in “Beast” as a father trying to protect his two daughters from a ferocious lion on a South African nature preserve. It turns out Elba’s 20-year-old daughter auditioned to play one of his character’s daughters in the film, but she failed to land the role because her chemistry with her father “wasn’t right.” According to Elba, she stopped speaking to him for three weeks after she lost out on the role.

“She wants to be an actress and she auditioned,” Elba said on “The Breakfast Club” (via Insider). “And you know, it came down to chemistry in the end. You know, my daughter, she was great, but the relationship in the film and the relationship with my daughter was — the chemistry wasn’t right for film, weirdly enough. My daughter didn’t talk to me for about three weeks.”

“Beast” producer Will Packer said Elba’s daughter was “very good” in the audition and “very close” to landing the role in the movie, but he added, “Idris is right, some of the nuances of that real-life relationship sometimes doesn’t translate on screen.” Packer stressed that Elba’s daughter was “very gracious” about not getting the part. She later attended the premiere of “Beast” alongside her father.

“I’m really proud of her to go through that, you know what I mean,” Elba said. “And then not get the role, but still come to the premiere.”

Relative newcomers Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries play Elba’s daughters in “Beast,” and they recently championed their roles in the film during an interview with Variety. “We’re both brown skinned, dark-skinned girls and we’re leading a movie, and it’s not anything that’s degrading,” Halley said.

[From Variety]

It’s kind of a funny/nice story, I think? Yes, Idris probably could have pulled some strings or tried to convince producers that his actual daughter should play his on-screen daughter, but he didn’t. This is making me think about all of those times Bruce Willis cast his daughters in his movies and I bet he always presented it as: I have three daughters, cast one of them or I walk. Idris didn’t do that. It’s anti-nepotism! Anyway, I hope Isan does fashion some kind of career for herself, it would be great to see a second-generation Elba in Hollywood.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty, Cover Images.

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Tilda Swinton wore a real Chanel gown in Cannes, no alien couture or anything

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Here are some photos from the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. The big event/premiere was for Three Thousand Years of Longing, a George Miller film where Idris Elba plays a genie in a bottle and Tilda Swinton is the bookish professor who accidentally unleashes him. I would never have thought to put Idris and Tilda in a movie together, but here we are. At the premiere, Tilda wore Chanel. Idris looked dapper as hell.

Idris’s wife Sabrina Dhowre wore a custom Tony Ward gown and jewelry from Tiffany & Co. She looked STUNNING.

Bonus Tilda & Idris at the Saturday photocall. I wish I could wear comically oversized button-down shirts and just wander around the South of France.

Here’s Anne Hathaway at the Friday photocall for Armageddon Time. Her minidress is Gucci. She was trying to do a Bardot thing and it worked, although I hate those sunglasses!

Marion Cotillard wore a Chanel romper. From the front, I actually don’t hate this, but there are photos of Marion walking up the steps and half of her ass was hanging out. That’s why you don’t wear shorts to Cannes red carpets!

Casey Affleck, 46, and his 24-year-old girlfriend Caylee Cowan. My only comment is that she’s lovely and young and I hope she’s okay.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red.