Idris Elba is "shy".
The ‘Mountain Between Us’ actor is baffled when he is described as "fun and cool" because he insists he is very different, and claims people are always disappointed when they meet him because he isn’t as "exciting" as they expect.
He told Red magazine: "I wouldn’t say I have much of an outgoing personality. I’m pretty shy.
"It’s interesting how people describe me because I’m not Mr Life-of-the-Party. I’m a bit of a homebody if I’m honest. But I’m never at home.
"It’s not meant to be sad, it’s just when people describe me i think, I’m not that fun and I’m not that cool.
"I can be. I have partied. But people get disappointed when they meet me because they expect me to be really confident and exciting and I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m going home now.’ "
The 45-year-old actor landed his first role in 1990s BBC sitcom ‘2 Point 4 Children’ and was excited to be earning money and dreamed of being a "superstar", but he admits now he wishes he’d slowed things down.
He said: "I got this huge cheque in the post and was like, ‘F***ing hell, this is my money. And this is for acting! Are you joking?’ I had done so many different jobs so to get that much money for one thing was incredible."
Asked how he’d advise his younger self, he said: "Save your money. I was not used to having money so I was just loving it and spending it, living cheque to cheque.
"When you’re 10 years old and you dream about being an actor, all you dream about is being a superstar. But for me, if I choose a lane I stifle my creativity."
Shy Idris Elba
