Idris Elba gets candid as he jokes how being named Sexiest Man Alive in 2018 was his 'hardest role ever'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Idris Elba recently talked about being voted Sexiest Man Alive a few years back with a leading entertainment outlet. The British actor is widely touted to be among the finest black actors out there, playing a variety of characters in his career. However, the star claims that the hardest role was to be 'Sexiest Man Alive in 2018'.
Recalling those days, Elba told ET Canada that he entered the studio for a cover shoot and confessed to photographer David Burton. "I said to the photographer, 'I don't always photograph great in pictures, this picture needs to be great,' " he said. "[They're like] 'No, no, no. We've done this a million times, we know how to do it.' And I was like, 'Ok, I'll just be me.' " Then they do this sort of thing where they make your favorite camera angle work for the cover," Elba further said.
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'Yeah, you are kind of sexy today'
The 50-year-old star was among the 30 Sexiest Man Alive covers, where this honor had been shared with Mel Gibson, back in 1985. However, in recent times, actors such as Paul Rudd, Michael B Jordan, Chris Evans, and John Legends made the cut. Talking about how much it meant to the ‘Beast’ actor, Elba said to People then, "I was like, 'Come on, no way. Really?'" [I] looked in the mirror, and I checked myself out. I was like, 'Yeah, you are kind of sexy today.' But to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a nice surprise — an ego boost for sure."
Elba also settled the rumors about being considered for the next Bond after Daniel Craig’s exit. "I love the Bond franchise, I'm very close to the producers," Elba said. "We were all kind of laughing about the rumors because they are just that." He added, "I can't speak for [the producers], but from my perspective, there's never been any sort of truth to any of it. It's a compliment, and it's an honor — but it's not a truth."
'Elba had ‘been part of the conversation'
Barbara Broccoli, one of the franchise’s lead producers said last year that Elba had ‘been part of the conversation’ while making her appearance on Deadline’s Crew Call podcast. "Well, we know Idris, I'm friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor. You know, it's been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat," she said in January 2022.
Broccoli concluded, "I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has kind of had its run and Daniel has been able to, well, we've all been able to, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about or talk about anybody else, actors to play the role or storylines or anything. We just wanna live in the moment, the present."
