British actor Idris Elba spoke to South African comedian Trevor Noah on The Daily Noah podcast, and he told of his humble start in the US, where the first two years were dry on the work front.
“You come from the UK. You’re doing decently there. It’s a small market, but it’s a robust market… you come to the US. It wasn’t an overnight thing for you, though, in the US, was it?” Noah asks Elba.
“No, no. I mean, the first two or three years were just flatline,” said the 53-year-old actor.
Idris Elba’s stint at the comedy club
“Because I heard rumours of you working at a comedy club. I remember someone saying this once. They said, ‘I met Idris at a comedy club’. And I said, ‘What do you mean you met Idris, like, doing stand-up?’” said Noah, much to Elba’s amusement.
“I wasn’t doing stand-up. I was standing up at the door. That’s what I was doing,” Elba responded.
“The original stand-up,” interrupted Noah.
“…I’ve come [to the US]. I had some savings. My wife at the time… I said let’s go to America… I didn’t work for two years straight. And my savings ran out in the first six months, and it was a struggle,” continued Elba.
“That’s where I started to DJ in New York. I brought my records over. Literally, I shipped over six crates of records. It was one of these moments where you have to dig in, or you’re going home,” said the thrice-married Elba.
“What is the motivating force in your life that didn’t allow you to give up?” asked Noah.
Idris Elba’s motivation to succeed
“I’d done something no black actor, no young man had done, that I knew… I couldn’t take the idea of letting that fail,” said Elba.
Of the huddle between him and success at auditions, Elba said: “… my accent wasn’t very good. I couldn’t pull it off,” said the recently knighted Elba.
“How did you get the accent good? Your accent is so good, I’ve seen people get angry when they discover that you’re not American,” Noah enquired.
“I’ve been in those conversations,” an amused Elba responded.
“I was unemployed… I was living life… and before you know it, you start talking like an American,” said Elba.