Actor Idris Elba shared why he “didn’t watch” watch his breakthrough HBO show, The Wire, wherein he portrayed the iconic character of drug lord Russell “Stringer” Bell. Elba shared that he feels “bad” for not watching it, but he thinks of himself as “a little bit outside of the club.”
Idris Elba talks about not watching The Wire
Idris Elba has a confession to make as he revealed why he never watched one of his most critically acclaimed shows, The Wire. While talking to Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast, the actor shared his feelings regarding the iconic HBO show that propelled his name to stardom.
“If I’m really honest, like, I didn’t watch The Wire,” Elba said. He admitted to feeling “bad” for not watching it. He explained, “It’s not that I’m not a fan of it – I was there. I made a show that was, you know, so intense and so real, so important, even though we didn’t realise it. I didn’t realise the importance of the show while making it.”
The Luther star said that he “didn’t participate in its (the show) celebration as a viewer, as a fan.” Notably, former US President Barack Obama once reportedly said that Alba’s The Wire is his favorite television series.
When asked if Alba could watch the show now, the actor revealed, “So to me, it was almost a bit like I was Stringer Bell. I’m not Stringer Bell, but I also feel like when Stringer Bell died, there was a part of me that died with that character. It’s weird for me to go back and watch it.”
Previously, The Wire’s creator, David Simon, had disclosed to the Associated Press how Alba didn’t like how his character met his brutal end in season 3. Simon noted that Alba was unhappy as “people were really starting to discover what a leading man he was.”
He told AP, “When he read the script … he was like, ‘Man, I can’t believe I’m leaving the show.’ Like, he was not happy. And I remember talking with him over the script and saying, ‘Idris, you’re going to have movie roles. You’re going to be an A-lister. People are going to get a load of this death, they’re going to acquire this story arc in retrospect — this is your calling card, man. You’re going to do fine'” (via The Wrap).
Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon.
