Famous 53-year-old actor Idris Elba is shifting his career to focus more on directing films, which he is enjoying more than acting.
He highlighted this change during his trip to Saudi Arabia, where he attended the Red Sea International Film Festival on December 10th. There, he held a public question-and-answer session to promote his new short film, Dust To Dreams.
The film is Elba’s first directing effort since his 2018 feature film, the crime drama Yardie.
Elba has publicly stated his determination to continue directing and developing new projects.
“I’m hoping that my fan base as an actor isn’t mad at me,” he said, according to the Daily Mail, before explaining, “Eventually I want to transfer to be a director fully,” as reported by People.
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With a current total of 130 acting credits, the ‘Heads of State’ actor joked that he has “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,” he said.
Elba also spoke briefly about his next directing project, the upcoming Apple film This Is How It Goes. The movie is an adaptation of the 2005 play by Neil LaBute.
“The original is about a Black man married to a white woman, and a white man comes to move into their house, and it’s about what happens to their relationship,” Elba said of the film, as reported by Deadline.
“I bought the rights to the film and transposed the story. So it’s a white man married to a Black woman, and a Black man comes to live in their house. It’s an incredible examination of marriage, trust, and race.”
The project, which Elba noted “just finished last week,” was filmed in Ghana. Furthermore, during the Q&A session, Elba addressed the speculation about him becoming the next James Bond, confirming that those reports are untrue.
Elba, however, is set to return to his iconic role as Detective John Luther for a new film, following up on 2023’s Luther: The Fallen Sun. Production for the new movie, which continues his portrayal of the fictional U.K. detective that began in 2010, is scheduled to start in February, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Elba said he considers his work as an actor a “privilege,” saying “This ain’t work” on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast in July, despite his desire to eventually transition away from acting to focus entirely on directing.
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“So when I get an opportunity to come work with you, to come work on a set, it doesn’t feel like work,” he said at the time. “Now everyone else is like, ‘You’re working really hard,’ but it’s not that hard.”
In addition to his aspirations to direct, E! News noted that Elba has also shared his interest in pursuing a degree.
“There is a possibility that I may go to school and just study human science, not political science, because I think humans respond to humans regardless of whether it’s politics or sports,” he reflected. “It’s about humans.”
“I’d like to maybe study that so that I can be more effective when it comes to some of the philanthropy work I’ve been doing and some of the activism work,” he continued. “As an actor, you get offered these incredible opportunities to sit on a stage or meet a head of state. I often feel like I am just living off my instinct rather than my knowledge.”
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