Idris Elba Details the Moment He Was Held at Gunpoint Trying to Protect a Woman From Her Abusive Boyfriend: “I Nearly Lost My F***ing Life”

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, famous actor Idris Elba recalled the moment he nearly lost his life trying to protect a woman (who he didn’t know) from an abusive boyfriend. He didn’t specify when the incident went down or what city he was in, but he did confirm it was outside a club in the United States. 

“I nearly lost my f–king life, after attempting to stop a man threatening his girlfriend outside a club,” he said on July 25. “A guy [was] whaling on his missus, screaming in her face, ‘I’ll f–king kill you,’ and so on. I come round and I go, ‘Look how beautiful she is. Why would you talk to this beautiful princess like that?’”

His attempt at calming the aggressor down didn’t work and, instead, escalated the situation. “He pulled out a gun, stuck it right in my face, and goes, ‘You talking about my girl?’ He thought I was trying to hit on her,” Elba continued. “I remember thinking, ‘Don’t play negotiations like that… Consequences, man.’”

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For someone who has acted out his fair share of near-death experiences on the big screen, Idris Elba fully understands that it’s a different ball game when things go down in real life. While he didn’t explain what happened next or how everything ended, it’s good to know that he’s alive and uninjured as a result.

It’s those types of near-death experiences that Idris Elba would have to get accustomed to if he were to take on the role of James Bond in the popular film series. The franchise has been searching for a replacement for Daniel Craig, who decided that No Time to Die would be his last film as James Bond. 

Elba has been a prospect for the role for several years now and, while he was honored to be considered at first, it has since left a poor taste in his mouth. As for why, the 50-year-old actor discussed his reasons on the SmartLess podcast with hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes in early July.

“Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race,” he said of being considered for the role – describing the role as ‘one of those sort of coveted types, like ‘being named sexiest man.’ “It became about nonsense dude, and I got the brunt of it.”

Idris Elba Talks About His Friendship With Prince Harry

While on the SmartLess podcast, Idris Elba spoke about his friendship with Prince Harry – how it started and, perhaps more importantly, how he came to be the DJ at his wedding reception after tying the knot with Meghan Markle. As for how it started, it’s no different than how most men normally become friends. 

“I was DJ-ing in all these clubs where Harry would show up and he was like “Yo!” and I’m like “Yo!” And then at one point he was like, “Listen man, I’m getting married.” I was like, “Yo! That’s amazing,” Elba said. The two hit it off so well that Harry invited him to DJ his wedding – but Idris thought it was a joke. 

Idris has previously talked about that story and even revealed who the best dancer was at the reception – it was Meghan Markle, the same person who gave him a list of songs to play. “That was an incredible experience,” he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “It was a lot of pressure, but it was great. A vibe.”

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While it’s unclear (but unlikely) that we see Idris Elba play James Bond in the future, he has plenty of other projects either available or in the works. After taking part in five films last year, he has already released two in 2023 – Luther: The Fallen Sun and Extraction 2 – and has more on the way!