“He can open a movie around the world”: Idris Elba Said He Can Never Beat Dwayne Johnson, Doesn’t Consider Himself a True Movie Icon Like His ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ Co-Star

Apparently, even a star of the caliber of Idris Elba finds himself falling short on several accounts when pitted against an A-lister like Dwayne Johnson. In a situation such as this, perhaps one is entitled to think on the scale of physique or personable qualities, but for Elba, it’s more along the lines of movie ticket sales.

It is no hidden truth that The Rock has become a legend in his own right, rising through the ranks in Hollywood, only growing more versatile each day, and even though his genre is only contained within high-octane action flicks, he is the best in what he does. With time, Johnson’s rapport as an actor selling full houses worldwide has grown to such a level as to intimidate even the cultured sophistication out of Idris Elba himself.

Idris Elba [via GQ]

Idris Elba Comments on the Uprise of Dwayne Johnson

For the actor who has become a name synonymous with the concept of patient heroism, Idris Elba barely considers his role as Heimdall high and mighty enough to accord him a seat at the table. Fairly so, too. His part in the Marvel movies has been few and far between and the actor’s work in projects beyond that have garnered him more credibility than the Thor movies. However, even after spending 30 years in the industry, Elba claims, “I don’t consider myself a movie star. And I feel now I’m getting into a lane where perhaps that is a possibility.”

Idris Elba as Heimdall

According to The Mountain Between Us star, Dwayne Johnson is a much better representation of what a movie star is and should be:

“He can open a movie around the world. It doesn’t matter whether he’s been in 16,000 Shakespeare plays or not, he can sell a ticket. My career has been very, very widespread. Lots of different things, and I’m supposed to be a respected actor. But that actual component which goes, ‘I’m gonna go to Australia and I’m gonna open this movie big.’ That’s like three percent of the overall actors, and I don’t think I’m there yet.”

Although Idris Elba might be selling himself short on a few things, the crux of the subject, i.e. Dwayne Johnson’s ability to sell a movie remains very much a thing of sheer incredulity.

Dwayne Johnson’s Reputation Precedes Him in Hollywood

Since his 2001 mainstream debut in Hollywood with The Mummy Returns, Dwayne Johnson has slowly built a career entwined with such adrenaline-driven action thrillers that the audience once addicted would simply return to the theatres for more adventure each time. And The Rock knew that was the recipe to his undeniable success – not avant-garde theatre plays or accumulated wealth of classic time-enduring roles, but in the age of here and now where everything happens in the currency of minutes and anything that fails to make an impression beyond that is forever forgotten.

[L to R] The Rock, Idris Elba, and Jason Statham [for Hobbs & Shaw]

Johnson knew the trick when he joined WWE and he implemented the same in Hollywood. In the course of the next two decades, the actor grew so omnipotent within the industry and outside of it that there isn’t a nook or cranny in the farthest reaches of the world that wouldn’t recognize his face. It is a fact and Idris Elba knows it too. The Thor actor who has accumulated a vast reserve of choice roles definitive in their qualitative calibers like Luther, The Wire, and Molly’s Game, counts himself as barely equivalent to the standing of his Hobbs & Shaw co-star, but perhaps his prediction of finally finding himself going there might come true with newer endeavors.

Idris Elba’s Luther: The Fallen Sun premieres on 24 February 2023.

Source: Angie Martinez