Idris Elba is known as one of the smoothest actors around, thanks to both the caliber of his performances and for the cool demeanor he brings to many of his roles - a reputation he built on the back of his beloved performance as Stringer Bell across three seasons of The Wire. As it turns out though, Elba has never watched his own breakthrough performance, telling Amy Poehler it would be "weird" if he did while guesting on her Good Hang podcast (via EW).
"If I'm really honest, I didn't watch The Wire," Elba says. "I didn't watch it. And I feel bad. It's not that I'm not a fan of it - I was there. I made a show that was, you know, so intense and so real, so important, even though we didn't realize it. I didn't realize the importance of the show while making it. I didn't participate in its celebration as a viewer, as a fan. And so I feel a little bit outside of the club."
Elba played erudite but cold-hearted gangster Stringer Bell in three seasons of The Wire, one of the leaders of the drug ring being surveilled in the police operation that gives the all-time-great show its name.
But - here's a spoiler that's officially old enough to drink in the US - Elba's character dies in the third season, in a brutally impactful scene made immortal by the actor's performance.
"It's more that I feel the presence of it all, my life since The Wire… In terms of its impact," Elba explains. "So to me, it was almost a bit like I was Stringer Bell. I'm not Stringer Bell, but I also feel like when Stringer Bell died, there was a part of me that died with that character. It's weird for me to go back and watch it."
It's not weird for me - I've rewatched The Wire multiple times, and Elba's instantly memorable performance and calmly commanding screen presence make Stringer Bell one of the show's best characters, and one of the best villains in television history.
The Wire is one of the best shows you can watch on HBO Max right now.
