You can call him Sir Idris Elba.
Extra spoke with Elba about being knighted at the season 2 premiere of his thriller series “Hijack” in NYC. The acclaimed honor called it “a real honor” and “a big milestone for his family to get to see.”
“I’ve worked, you know, trying to raise as much awareness about what young people are going through. Especially in the U.K. and other parts of the world,” Elba said. “It’s a real honor to be recognized for that. Not for my acting work, but, you know, for trying to make a difference for young people.”
Elba added that being knighted is a “milestone for my mom as well, my family. It means a lot to them.”
He also spoke about his possible retirement from acting to focus on directing.
“You naturally retire… There are things that I’ve done I don’t need to do again,” Elba said. “And the things I’d like to progress towards; directing is one of them.”
This isn’t the first time that Ebla alluded to his retirement from performing. He spoke about retiring at the Red Sea International Film Festival.
“I’ve been acting for a long time. I love it still,” Elba said during a Q&A session. “But eventually I want to transfer to be a director fully.”
“Directing allows me to flex slightly different muscles and just be a part of the set in a different way,” he said. “I really enjoy it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Elba noted that he’s working on a documentary about himself.
He also said that the second season of “Hijack” is even “better” than Season 1.
In “Hijack”, Idris Elba stars as Sam Nelson, a corporate negotiator who finds himself thrust into a life-or-death crisis. Season 2 shifts from the air to the ground. This season explores the psychological aftermath of his previous trauma, presenting Nelson as a “broken” and “paranoid” man.
“Hijack” returns Jan. 14 on Apple TV.
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