I'm rebelling against being handed a career, like, 'You're the next this; you're the next that.' I'm not the next anything, I'm the first me. I can't be myself, I can't just be Idris Elba. But that's just the nature of the business.

I'm an ambitious person. I never consider myself in competition with anyone, and I'm not saying that from an arrogant standpoint, it's just that my journey started so, so long ago, and I'm still on it and I won't stand still. Read Summary

I've been DJing mostly, and most DJs end up producing. That's just me. Read Summary

I love to play different roles. That's just the kind of actor I am. Read Summary

Twenty or 30 years from now, I'm going to be on a beach in Jamaica. Read Summary

In some countries, no one knows who Idris Elba is. Read Summary

Because I was big, I didn't have to listen to anyone doubting me. I was just considered good at football or whatever, there were no questions about it. Read Summary

As an actor, you're trained to do the right thing, be politically correct, say your lines, say the right thing about the people you're working with. Read Summary

I still sing on bits and pieces. Singing's something that I love to do, but it's not something that I pursue as a career. Read Summary

Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond. Read Summary

I'm a little sheepish about it. Whenever I meet fans and they're like, 'Oh, you're so sexy,' I just don't get that. There's no way one man can be universally sexy. Read Summary