During an episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Idris Elba revealed why he has never watched The Wire, his early 2000s series that helped him become famous.
“I wanna stay in the present, and I wanna talk about the future. But if you will indulge me, a little bit of past, because — and I promise I’ll make it fast,” Poehler told her guest. “But I’m such a huge fan of The Wire.”
The 53-year-old host went on to say that although she is aware that the series has been out for “20 plus years,” the chance to talk about it was too wonderful to pass up considering he is on her show.
RELATED STORIES
READ ALSO: Tyra Banks shares why she wants Idris Elba and Taylor Swift for The Bodyguard remake
“You’ve talked about it over and over again, and I won’t make you talk about it too much. But it’s a series that changed my life. I watched it three times. I could talk to you about it forever,” Poehler said, before making a joke about them being dressed alike.
The 52-year-old English actor then responded: “The truth is that I actually don’t speak about The Wire as much as people might think, even though I am definitely, at least once a day, someone says, ‘Bro, Stringer Bell! The Wire!’ Whatever it is.”
In the first three seasons of the show, which ran for five seasons from 2002 to 2008, Elba played the business-savvy crook Russell “Stringer” Bell, which was his breakthrough American role. His character was later killed when Omar (played by Michael K. Williams) and Mouzone (played by Michael Potts) shot him to death.
The Luther star admitted to Poehler that he is surprised by “how much impact that show had in a good way.” He also mentioned how shocked he was that The Wire is being spoken about by people of all ages, including “people that weren’t born” when it first came out.
“If I’m really honest, like, I didn’t watch The Wire,” Elba said. “And I feel bad. It’s not that I’m not a fan of it. I was there. I made a show that was, you know, was so intense and so real, so important,” he said. “And even though we didn’t realize — I didn’t realize the importance of the show while making it. I didn’t participate in its celebration as a viewer, as a fan.”
READ ALSO: Here’s How Idris Elba’s Crime Documentary Can Project Him For Political Office
Though Poehler admitted it wasn’t her first time hearing this, she asked if Elba could start watching the series now.
His response was “No, man.”
“When Stringer Bell died, there was a part of me that died with that character,” Elba explained. “And it’s weird for me to go back and watch it. I don’t like being overly conscious of what my performance is like or whatever, because it makes me conscious about doing it. I like being in it rather than watching it.”
The Wire was Elba’s first major part in a U.S. series. In a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, series creator David Simon stated that Stringer’s death wasn’t personal but rather “to make a political point,” citing Stringer’s efforts to “reform the drug war” when “it’s un-reformable.”
READ ALSO: Idris Elba suggests removal of kitchen knife points to tackle stabbing crimes
