Idris Elba interview at Hijack premiere

Idris Elba has opened up about his worst experience on a plane journey which left him feeling ‘very scared.’

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Talent including Idris Elba & Archie Panjabi Attend World Premiere of Apple TV+ Series ‘Hijack’ in London | Aimee Kelly, Archie Panjabi, Ben Miles, Christine Adams, Harry Michell, Idris Elba, Kate Phillips, Max Beesley, Zora Bishop attended the showbiz event with online promotion from MarkMeets.

Hopefully, the production of upcoming Apple TV Plus thriller Hijack – which is entirely set on a flight – didn’t bring bad memories flooding back for the Luther actor, 50.

Told in real-time, the seven-parter follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers.

The Wire star will star as Sam Nelson, an accomplished negotiator in the business world who needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers but his high-risk strategy could be his undoing.

He explained: ‘All flights are very very long for me. I usually sleep, I usually catch up on movies. I did get on this flight one time and the turbulence was so bad, and I asked the pilot: “What happened?”

‘And we were flying along like this and it dropped out into lower air pressure for like, forever and then it caught up again. And that felt like we were falling out of the sky. Very scary.’

Idris shared a much lighter moment, however, on ITV’s morning show Lorraine while on the promo rounds for Hijack – which left him literally wheezing with laughter.

Idris Elba Got Over Potentially Playing James Bond After “It Became About Race”

Idris Elba has been one of the recurring names that fans suggest when the topic of James Bond comes up. Following Daniel Craig’s final bow as the British secret agent in No Time To Die, Elba had been keen on potentially taking over the role.

However, despite the Luther star initially feeling “super complimented” about playing 007, he was put off by the racist backlash.

“The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this. I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ Because James Bond… We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted [roles],” Elba said during an appearance on the SmartLess podcast. “Being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Okay, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle.’”

Elba acknowledged that due to the character being known worldwide, chatter about casting the next Bond was “one of those things the whole world has a vote in.”

“Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered,” Elba added. “Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it.”

He is no longer describing himself as a Black actor “when I realized it put me in a box. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin. Rant over.”

He would later clarify his statement on social media “There isn’t a soul on this earth that can question whether I consider myself a BLACK MAN or not. Being an ‘actor’ is a profession, like being an ‘architect’ ,they are not defined by race. However, If YOU define your work by your race, that is your Perogative. Ah lie?”

During the interview with markmeets the Scottish presenter, 63, suggested Idris could play a villain in the James Bond franchise after he shut down rumours he was next in line to play 007.

‘I was going to say I can see you stroking a white pussy,’ joked Lorraine before correcting herself and leaving Idris in a fit of laughter.

Both Lorraine and The Suicide Squad actor were beside themselves with laughter as they tried to recover the interview.

Idris sat wheezing as Lorraine started to speak again, before immediately falling into giggles once more.

‘I will just say,’ she said before covering her face and laughing, ‘I will just say that you’d be a really good baddie.’

Finally able to compose himself, Idris joked: ‘Nah, it’s out there now, I’ve got it in my head the image. But anyway…’

Here’s the show’s synopsis: “When Flight KA29 is hijacked during its seven-hour journey from Dubai to London, Sam Nelson (Elba) – an accomplished corporate negotiator – tries using his professional skills to save everyone on board. Will this high-risk strategy be his undoing?”

Hijack premieres on Apple TV Plus on Wednesday (June 28).