Idris Elba Reveals His Acting Retirement Plans

Idris Elba has plans for retiring from acting, but not from Hollywood entirely. He expressed his desire to shift from on-screen roles to behind-the-scenes work in the future. Elba also hopes that his fans won’t be “mad” at him when he decides to make the transition.

Idris Elba confirms that he will retire from acting

On December 10, Idris Elba attended the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. During a Q&A panel, he expressed his intentions of stepping away from acting.

“I’m hoping that my fan base as an actor isn’t mad at me. But eventually, I want to transfer to be a director fully,” the Luther star revealed. “I’ve been acting for a long time. I love it still, but I think directing allows me to flex slightly different muscles and just be a part of the set in a different way. I really enjoy it,” Elba explained. (via Daily Mail)

He attended the film festival to promote Dust To Dreams, a short movie he directed. The official synopsis of the movie reads, “Set against the backdrop of Lagos, Nigeria, the plot examines the relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter as she meets her father for the first time.”

This isn’t the first time that the Zootopia actor has helmed the director’s role. He previously directed two episodes of Sky Arts anthology series Playhouse Presents, while also serving as the writer. However, he made his feature directorial debut with Yardie in 2018, adapting a novel about a Jamaican drug dealer in 1980s London.

The Emmy-nominated actor has had a long and successful career in Hollywood. After making his acting debut in the early ‘90s, he appeared in supporting roles in projects like Silent Witness and Law & Order. However, he rose to fame with his portrayal of Stringer Bell in HBO’s The Wire. He went on to star in major films, such as 28 Weeks Later, Thor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Pacific Rim.

Elba also led BBC One’s cop drama Luther, and later starred in its spin-off movie, Luther: The Fallen Sun, in 2023. Currently, a second Luther movie is in production at Netflix.

Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on Comingsoon.

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