It’s unarguably the case that 2017 should be noted in history as The Year Of Idris Elba.
Some might characterize it as an accident of scheduling, others might view it as a mere twist of fate – but the fact remains that by the end of the year, the London-born actor will have had no less than four feature films in theatres, in addition to starring in a 6-episode television miniseries and lining up his directorial debut. And that’s all in the space of 12 months. If nothing else, you can’t deny that Idris Elba is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood at the moment.
While this high volume of output from him is not unusual in itself, it’s the profile of these projects that make this time especially noteworthy. 2017 sees Idris Elba truly make the well-earned leap to the status of bonafide leading man, and really, it’s been a long time coming.
So, with the actor now at the top of his game, let’s take a look at how he got here.