Idris Elba has played many bold and brave characters over the years. But in a new interview on the SmartLess podcast, he revealed how life imitated art as he was threatened at gunpoint after defending a woman at a club. As Luther, Idris Elba was always putting himself on the line to protect others, and it looks like the thriller series character has rubbed off on him somewhat.
“I nearly lost my fucking life, after attempting to stop a man threatening his girlfriend outside a club,” the Thor cast member said. Elba, who recently reprised his role as Luther in a Netflix movie, explained that while he tried to defuse the situation, things escalated fast.
“A guy [was] whaling on his missus, screaming in her face, ‘I’ll fucking kill you,’ and so on,” he added. “I come round and I go ‘Look how beautiful she is. Why would you talk to this beautiful princess like that?'”
He continued, “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. I remember thinking, ‘Don’t play negotiations like that… Consequences, man.'”
Even the best movies don’t have endings quite as dramatic as this, but let’s hope Elba keeps his near-death experiences to new movies from now on! For more on the actor, check out our list of what we consider to be some of the best Idris Elba movies of all time.
You can catch him now in Hijack, a drama series that exclusively on the streaming service Apple TV Plus, as well as Netflix movie Extraction 2. Keep an eye on our Extraction 3 release date guide to see if he’ll reappear. Once you’re done with Hijack, be sure to check out everything else new on Apple TV Plus, from new Apple TV shows to exciting drama movies.