Idris Elba pretended he was actually American while auditioning for The Wire
The IndependentSign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Idris Elba had to pretend to be from Brooklyn to land his breakthrough role as Russell “Stringer” Bell in HBO’s The Wire. Speaking on web series Hot Ones, the Golden Globe winner said: “Alexa Fogel was a casting director that was really into seeing new talent. She said ‘I love you, I gotta bring you into this audition, but you have to promise that you can’t tell him you’re from East London.’” Creator of The Wire David Simon had wanted to cast only Americans, feeling they were better able to relate the experiences of the characters and the Baltimore setting of the series.
History of this topic
Idris Elba was ‘not happy’ when Stringer Bell was written out of The Wire
The IndependentDiscover Related
