Idris Elba revealed that he plans to later step back from acting to focus on a new phase in his career, as well as education.
Idris Elba is prepared to shout "Action!" in the next moment of his life. Ultimately, the Wire actor disclosed that he intends to transition from his position in front of the camera to a more permanent position behind the scenes.
"I'm hoping that my fanbase as an actor isn't mad at me, but eventually, I want to transfer to be a director fully," as per Daily Mail, Idris said this during a Q&A session at the Red Sea International Film Festival on December 10. "I've been acting for a long time. I love it still, but I think directing allows me to flex slightly different muscles and just be a part of the set in a different way."
The 53-year-old, who helmed the 2025 short film Dust to Dreams after making his feature film debut in 2018 with Yardie, isn't merely trying to upend his status in Hollywood. Idris has even thought about pursuing a degree.
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"There is a possibility that I may go to school and just study human science, not political science, because I think humans respond to humans regardless of whether it's politics or sports," he thought. "It's about humans."
"I'd like to maybe study that so that I can be more effective when it comes to some of the philanthropy work, I've been doing and some of the activism work," he added. "As an actor, you get offered these incredible opportunities to sit on a stage or meet a head of state. I often feel like I am just living off my instinct rather than my knowledge."
Therefore, even if the "Boasty" rapper—who has a 10-year-old son named Winston with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth and a 22-year-old daughter named Isan Elba with his ex-wife Hanne Nørgaard—won't be running for office, he understands that information is power.
"I don't want to be a politician, but I think there's something quite appealing about educating myself to step into those arenas with more experience of how to make change," he continued. "I've found myself feeling like an imposter in the political arena. I've found myself in arenas with heads of state and ministers talking about things that are way above my pay grade."
He went on, "What I've been doing, actually, rather than just speak about the infrastructure, is looking at the policy that supports it."