Idris Elba recalls being homeless during a ‘difficult’ move to America and claims ‘The Wire’ changed his life

Idris Elba is a British transplant who got here to America within the late Nineties in hopes of furthering his acting profession. However, this journey to an Emmy nomination has not been without its struggles.

The Harder They Fall star participated in a recent interview with CNN, where he shared that he was once homeless after moving to the US. He later appeared in episodes of shows like “Law & Order,” nevertheless it turned out to be his role in “The Wire” that changed his life.

Elba told journalist Becky Anderson that the show’s casting director, Alexa Fogel, reminded him not to use his British accent during the audition, to which he agreed. The 52-year-old actor also revealed that he auditioned for a month for the role of Baltimore kingpin Russell “Stringer” Bell and ultimately won the role.

“I took part in intense interrogations for four weeks. I auditioned in New York,” he said. “It was a difficult concert. Alexa Fogel is an amazing casting director. She always sensed amazing talent and gave me the opportunity to audition, but she told me, “Whatever you do, don’t go in there with your English accent.” This is about Baltimore, they’re not interested in East London. And that’s all. I auditioned among some amazing young actors and at the final audition I got the job.

Elba also revealed that he hasn’t watched many episodes of “The Wire” “because it’s an amazing time in my life. I can’t look at it through that lens. He has also said in the past that it is because he is too critical of his work.

He does, however, have box sets of the show, as well as another hit series he starred in, “Luther.”

“I have collected several sets of boxes. I have to get through The Wire. “I have to finish ‘Luther’ seasons one through five,” he added.

The “Hijack” star moved to Hollywood after landing a small role on the British comedy series “Absolutely Fabulous” and noted that he was unsheltered for a short time before landing the role of Stringer.

“Most of the time when I got there it was really hard,” Elba said. “It was a fight. But it was positive. I grew in self-confidence. I went through a very difficult time; at one point I was homeless. … In the first years of my life, “The Wire” completely changed my life, and at the identical time my daughter was born. It really changed my life and I’m all the time in America and beyond.”

The Marvel star said he now enjoys life in England, “closer to my mom.” My dad died so I’m back home in England now, but I’m always there.

Elba’s father, Winston Elba, died in 2013 of lung cancer. He left behind two grandchildren; 21-year-old daughter Isan, whom Idris shares with ex-wife Hanne “Kim” Nørgaard, and 9-year-old son Winston, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth.

“They are part of me,” Elba he said People Magazine. “They are the reason I get up and do it.”

“Thank you for existing, so I have a purpose,” he added.

The British actor grew up in London, but his parents are from Ghana and Sierra Leone, where Elba is working on a new project to build a “smart eco-city” that will be powered by wind energy.

It is also working with the government to attract tourists to Sherbro Island, a place known for its pristine beaches and nesting grounds for green sea turtles. Elba hopes to turn the area into a tourist playground, which will help the country’s economy.

Elba also wants to grow the creative arts industry in Africa and has shot several films on the continent, including 2022’s “The Beast.”