British actor Idris Elba has announced that he plans to reduce or stop acting altogether and focus on directing.
The actor, who starred in films such as The Wire, made the announcement during an interview with attendees at the Red Sea International Film Festival, as reported by The Daily Mail. He said he wants to move away from the camera and into a full-time directing role.
“I hope my fans will be very supportive and they will not let me down, but in the future I want to focus on directing. I’ve been acting for a long time. I still love it, but directing allows me to use my other talents and be on set in a different way.”
The 53-year-old, who made his directorial debut in 2018 with Yardie and later directed the short film Dust to Dreams, which will be released in 2025, said he not only wants to change his direction in Hollywood, but is also considering going back to school.
“There’s a chance I’ll go into humanities, not politics, because I think people give back to other people, whether it’s in politics or sports. The most important thing is the people themselves.”
He went on to say that he wants to study these subjects so that he can do his philanthropy and advocacy work well.
“I want to study these so that I can gain experience in philanthropy and advocacy work when I’m working,” he said. “As an actor, you always get the chance to go on stage or meet heads of state, but I often feel like I’m going to go on a tangent rather than a full-fledged discussion.”
Idris Elba already has a 22-year-old daughter, Isan Elba, with his ex-wife Hanne Nørgaard, and a 10-year-old son, Winston, with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth. Apart from acting, he is also a singer.
