Idris Elba Covers Uptown Magazine

Idris Elba is plastered on the cover of UPTOWN Magazine giving the ladies something to stare at.  Idris speaks about his celebrity.  Peep game…

How do American and English fans react to your celebrity?
It’s weird. An English star has to be a lot more humble. But if an American comes over, he has to be all “Yeah, motherfucker, I’m the best!” And English people love that. In America, I downplay this whole celebrity thing; there are just more important things in life. I will probably never be überfamous in America because I don’t care about the culture of celebrity.

What’s one quality you’ve taken from each culture?
One of the greatest things that America has to offer is optimism. To English people, the optimism in America can be almost nauseating. But in America, it’s the reason why you can do what the f**k you want. And for good or bad, England became one of the most powerful nations in the world—England has resilience. Those two things make me an unstoppable human being!

Did you spit any rhymes or sing melodies between takes with your other castmates T.I. and Chris Brown?
Yeah, we were huddled in the corner doing three-part harmony. [Laughs.] No, no, none of that.

Your contemporary soul EP High Class Problems, Volume I comes out in the U.K. this February and in the United States later this year under your music moniker, Driis. What do you want the songs to convey?
There’s a lot of celebration of love songs. Secular music now is all about, “Let me f**k you, take you to the crib, do this and that.” I deejay so I have to play [that music] sometimes, but when I write my songs, they’re more about a connection.