6. His American Accent Was Perfected In A Barbershop
Before he became the international star he is now, Elba was mainly known for his role in The Wire which also lead to a run of episodes on the US version of The Office. Both parts required the Cockney London native to affect an American accent, which he did so well that when die hard Stringer Bell fans clapped their ears on the likes of RocknRolla and Luther, they couldn't believe them. How did Elba manage to perfect that form of speech, especially when he was in possession of such a strong accent himself? Well, the obvious and less patronising answer is acting, but he actually did go somewhat method for the part. No, not by becoming a for-real drug magnate or anything like that. Whilst nowadays he does split his time between houses in Atlanta and The Capital, before he was a half-American native he developed his naturalistic accent by working in a Brooklyn barbershop. They used to call me English. 'Yo, waddup, English!', he said. I was like, 'I'm trying to get this accent down, do you mind if I just sit in the barbershop and talk?'
