Hollywood hit movie celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela

Idris Elba talks about capturing the spirit of Madiba.

The film tells the former South African president’s story from birth in a village in Transkei, in the south east of South Africa, through his fight against the country’s apartheid regime, taking up the armed struggle and subsequent incarceration to his term in office as his country’s first black leader.

The man given the responsibility of playing Mandela in his adult years is British actor Idris Elba, star of Luther and the recent two-part BBC documentary King of Speed.

He admitted he felt an awesome responsibility taking on the role even before Mandela’s passing.

“Playing Madiba who was depicted as such a living saint meant I had to try to capture and carry his spirit.

“We all agreed that I didn’t want to do an impersonation, I don’t look like him so I had to capture his spirit.

“One word that kept coming back to me was ‘patience’, something Mandela grasped well. He managed to stand outside himself and remain patient while addressing problems. Me, I’m a very impatient man.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pL8W3XI54jU

The 41-year-old actor and DJ based a lot of Mandela’s physicality as an older man on his own father, who emigrated to Britain from Sierra Leone shortly after marrying Idris’s mum (the actor was born in Hackney, east London).

Sadly, dad Winston also passed away last year but got to see the film with his son before he died.

“Watching the way my dad got out of chairs was my basis for Mandela,” said the twice-divorced Idris, rumoured to be about to become a father for the second time with girlfriend Naiyana Garth. He has a daughter, Isan, from his first marriage.

Idris never got to meet Nelson but the former South African president was shown some scenes from the film and apparently gave his approval to Idris’s portrayal.

Idris was conscious of how important it was to immerse himself in, not just the life of Mandela, but also as much South African culture as possible, talking to locals and visiting places key to the story. He even spent a night locked up on Robben Island, where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 year prison sentence.

“It was imperative I understood the journey the country had gone through and is going through,” explained Idris.

“The roots of the history were important and pivotal to understanding the role.

“I really enjoyed my time spent there I’d love to go back and make another film.”

On the subject of future roles, Idris reckoned his next outing is unlikely to bring him the same positive response as this one which has already seen him nominated for a Golden Globe, often seen as a precursor to the Oscars.

“It was an honour to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and playing this role was a gift.

“The next role I will take on is the complete opposite a commander who gathers child soldiers, so I won’t be winning any awards for being Mr Nice Guy in that role.”

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is at cinemas now.