Like the brooding bruisers he portrays onscreen, Idris Elba is a tough guy to pin down. Over the course of a half-hour phone call with the 39-year-old British actor as he cruises the Hollywood Hills in the backseat of a car, I lose his signal four times. When we manage to reconnect, he sounds relaxed to the point of sedation, his thick, Cockney accent flattening his words into a slow drawl. It’s hard to imagine how a man so mellow can summon the boundless intensity he showcases in his Emmy-nominated role as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther on the bleak BBC crime procedural Luther.

Though hyper-aware in keeping with his gumshoe predecessor, Sherlock Holmes, Elba’s sleuth is by no means as reserved. He’s prone to head bashings and unpredictable table-flippings. In many ways, he’s the polar opposite of Stringer Bell, the methodical, stoic drug dealer Elba played for three seasons on HBO’s groundbreaking urban saga, The Wire. Then again, the London-born actor is fond of exploring new roles. Most people, he admits, are surprised when they discover his imposing 6’2” frame manning the decks at a local club, spinning the latest house thumpers under one of his many musical monikers. He also does some singing, crooning seductive island R&B under the name Driis. Is the man who just wrapped production on Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel, worried that audiences might dismiss these ventures as yet another celebrity vanity project? “There’s definitely the possibility that I’ll be pegged as that guy,” he says. “So I do everything in my power to not be him. If it happens, I’ll take it with a grain of salt.”
 
Congratulations on the Emmy nomination.
Thanks. I’m proud of that. It was hard work, and we got some love for it, so that’s nice.
 
You tweeted that not winning the award for Best Actor in a Miniseries will only make you work harder.
I’m not much of a stickler about winning or losing. I worked hard most of my career, and the recognition feels good, but the rest of the industry takes notice of that sort of thing. It will make me work harder—not because I want to win, but because I love to do good work.
 
Why did you return to TV after launching a successful movie career?
To be honest, I was doing good films, but they weren’t helping me grow as an actor. It was action-type stuff. Luther came along, and he was a really complex character I could sink my teeth into.
 
Stringer Bell was a ruthless, brilliant criminal, whereas John Luther is a ruthless, brilliant detective. Are they two sides of the same coin?
I’m playing someone on the other side of the spectrum, and I wanted to be able to pull that off. Not that playing a drug dealer is easy, but it’s something I can relate to. Where I grew up, I didn’t know any police officers but I did know some drug dealers. It was a challenge to pull off Luther with the same authenticity that I had with Stringer Bell.
 
You moved here in your twenties. What was your first experience with American culture like? 
I lived it. I was an unemployed actor working odd jobs. I had to do everything, some things I’m proud of and some things I’m not. I wasn’t a tourist. I lived in the hood, I lived in Jersey City, I lived in Brooklyn.
 
Luther is consumed by his job. He has sacrificed personal relationships for it. Can you relate to that?
As a man who’s gone through a divorce, I definitely can.
 
Is it difficult to create meaningful relationships given the nature of your career?
It’s hard, but not impossible, especially if you find someone who understands that you won’t have all the warm and fuzzy bits most relationships have. Like, “C’mon, sit on the sofa and let’s cuddle under the blanket!” “I can’t, honey, I’m in Bulgaria shooting a film and I won’t be back for six more weeks.” If my partner can understand that, then cool, you can make a relationship work.
 
When you finished The Wire, did you feel that Stringer Bell was a skin you had to shed?
You don’t want to be known for just one character. You want to have a legacy.
 
But Stringer must be particularly challenging to escape because you made him so iconic. Most actors don’t accomplish that in their careers.
Yeah, you’re right, Stringer Bell was defining. I appreciate those words, and it was a gift for me to be able to have that part. To be honest, the writing was good on The Wire and I had great stuff to do, but I didn’t think it was going to be groundbreaking—one of the best shows ever.
 
Your movie career has kicked into high gear lately. Your name is being mentioned for some big films. Not long ago you posted a tweet about a meeting with Quentin Tarantino for the lead in his next film, Django Unchained. The role went to Jamie Foxx. What happened?
Quentin and I had a long meeting about it, and I have a lot of respect for him, and I think he does for me, but we both came to a place where we weren’t sure if it was going to be the right fit. We had a slightly different take on some things, and the part went to Jamie.
 
Some people objected to you playing the Norse god Heimdall in Thor because of the color of your skin. Did the controversy catch you off guard?
No, people get caught up in race, especially in America. Race is always in the forefront of someone’s mind. When they’ve got nothing else to say, they bring up race. So I wasn’t surprised, except by the type of people protesting, people who wouldn’t even go see the film. I couldn’t care less, honestly.
 
You’ve said before that DJing is your first love.
I just love doing it. I play house music. I love the freedom of it.
 
Where do you find new music?
Mainly online. I used to be a big record collector, but a lot of stores don’t carry new stuff. I try to stay abreast of what’s hot.
 
What kind of clubs do you play?
In London, I just did the Lux Club. In L.A., I used to play at Hyde, which was more hip-hop. I try to avoid celebrity DJ bookings. Smaller, great-sounding rooms with just enough people to work—that’s my forte.
 
You don’t DJ under your full name. Are club-goers ever shocked to see you behind the decks?
All the time. Because my moniker most of the time is 7 Wallace or Driis, people will come up to the booth, and be like, “Wait a second, is that… ?” But by that point, they’re just enjoying that I’m playing good music.
 
When you DJ, is it work or play?
It’s work for me. When you have a bunch of film fans that show up to a gig, they want to take pictures and stare. They have no appreciation for what I’m doing. I think in the next year, I’ll be stepping into bigger arenas.
 
Are you more sensitive to criticism about your acting or your music?
More the music, because my music is eclectic. The characters I play are designed for everyone to like. I have a great time doing both, so why not?
 
In the video for your single “Private Garden,” you play a kind of island lover. Are you worried that that image clashes with your tough-guy screen persona?
If people stop believing in my characters, it’s not because of that. It’s because my acting’s not right. Ultimately I’m going to get a bunch of criticism for doing two things. There are a bunch of musicians in film, and although it’s slightly easier for them to do film than for me to do music, I respect the hustle, I respect them for trying.
 
You’re starring in two major sci-fi movies, Prometheus with Ridley Scott and Pacific Rim with Guillermo Del Toro. What’s it like working on films that get so much attention before production even begins?
It’s crazy, man. I’ve never been in a situation like that. It feels like becoming the member of an elite family. I’m excited to see Prometheus. I already know it’s going to be good because it’s Ridley. And with Guillermo, I like the idea that we’re going to surprise people.
 
 
Photography by Davis Factor. Styling by Ali Dariotis.