Danger Is My Middle Name: Idris Elba

Idris Elba is a deejay-musician actor seemingly capable of any role, whether a secret agent in the Euro-thriller Bastille Day or, even… a tiger.

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Idris Elba seems poised to take over the world. The award-winning actor, who landed his breakout as criminal impresario Stringer Bell in HBO's cult hit The Wire, now splits his efforts between a fashion line with Superdry, singing on the new Macklemore and Ryan Lewis album, and deejaying internationally under the alias DJ Big Driis in clubs.

The Londoner, 43, insists there is nothing overnight about his empire. “These are all projects and passions I've been working on for years,” he explains. “There's no way I could pull that altogether in one go."

Acting will remain his primary bread and butter. And a good thing because there would otherwise be plenty of roles left unfilled such as the villainous Krall in this summer’s Star Trek Beyond, a gangster sea lion in Pixar Animation’s Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, as well as tiger Shere Khan in the current Jungle Book. Elba will also begin production on the long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower with Matthew McConaughey.

But before all that, the father of two, who recently split with the mother of his two-year-old son — he also has a teen daughter with first wife, Kim Norgraad — has Bastille Day.

In the white-knuckled espionage thriller now in cinemas, Elba is Sean Briar, a CIA agent, who teams up with a petty pickpocket to uncover the forces responsible for a terrorist bombing in Central Paris: Game of Thrones' Richard Madden is the co-star. The story acquired an eerie quality after the Paris attacks last November. Rugged and brawny in a blue sweater and jeans, Idris is understanding of the connections but quick to point out the difference between reality and fiction while emphasising that Bastille Day is no typical action pic.

 We may as well get it out of the way because you know this subject is unavoidable.

IDRIS ELBA: Alright (laughs).