10 Big Time Actors Who Are Way Better On TV
9. Idris Elba
Idris Elba is on the cusp of becoming a mega-star. He's got the full package: he's as handsome as they come, he's got that animal magnetism thing lurking behind the eyes, he's got a growling voice and crucially, he can act.
On The Big Screen:
Pacific Rim sees Idris Elba flexing his macho chops as Stacker Pentecost. Good casting, but the film wasn't as huge as, let's say a Marvel movie. Speaking of which, as Heimdall in Thor, Idris is given the arduous acting task of looking at a gate. In Mandela, he had more to do, but the film was paint-by-numbers, and then of course, there was the unfortunate timing of the real-life legend's death.
Generally, it feels like a series of false starts.
In Your Living Room:
Within the vast tapestry of The Wire's beleaguered Baltimore is thrown Elba's Stringer Bell. The actor equips Bell with calculated ferocity, a chess player's brain and a curiously intense form of relaxed power. And what about BBC's uber-dark Luther? Elba brings a tenderness, a genius and a volatility. And it's no small task to oscillate between those characteristics.
Best TV Moment:
Zoe confronts John Luther in his office so she can break up with him, without him making a scene. But goodness, does he ever.