INTERVIEW: Idris Elba Shares The Advice He Gave Talented ‘Beast’ Actresses On Set
If you know anything about Idris Elba you know that the award-winning actor has a knack for taking on roles that have strong father characters.
In his latest film Beast, Elba plays Dr. Nate Daniels, a recent widow, who travels to a South African game reserve where they are faced with a fight for survival when a lion out to kill begins to stalk them.
Shortly before the film’s release, Elba shared why he felt drawn to take on the role in the Will Packer-produced movie.
“I've played fathers a lot in films and I do it because I really feel that fathers get a bad rap. As a father myself, I’m always drawn to characters that take their fatherhood seriously,” he shared.
And when it comes to his two co-stars, Leah Jeffries and Iyanna Halley, who play his daughters Norah and Meredith Samuels in the film, Elba gave some sound advice to the budding actors.
“I'm always trying to stay positive when I meet young actors. It's always good to give them a sense of the hard work to get to where you want to go. You’re only as good as the job that you're doing at that junction. It doesn't matter if you become really famous for something else. You're just as good as the job you're doing right there on the spot,” he shared. “You need to treat that job as if it's your first. That way you're always going to be guaranteed to have the conviction in your performance. That's how I see it.”
Adding, “Doesn't matter how long I've been working as an actor, every job feels like a new one. I want to impress the director the same way no matter if I'm a producer on the film or not. If anything, that’s what me and the girls would talk about, longevity. How do you create longevity?”
With the thriller taking place in Africa, Elba also took a moment to reminisce on his time filming in one of his favorite places.
“I love filming in Africa. Africa is one of my favorite locations to ever film doesn't matter what part of it,” he says. “I always go back to South Africa. They have quite an established film industry there, great crews [and] incredible landscapes. Ever since I shot Mandela, it's been a second home for me.”
Beast is out in theaters now! Watch the trailer below:
