Naomie Harris Born September 6, 1976. Starred as Selena~28 Days Later, Tia Dalma/Calypso~2nd+3rd Pirates of the Caribbean, Eve Moneypenny in Skyfall and SPECTRE.Winnie Mandela in Mandela:Long Walk to Freedom.Southpaw, Our Kind of Traitor,Moonlight (Oscar Nominee) plus Collateral Beauty and Jungle Book (2018)
PUBLISHED: 17:26, 21 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:26, 21 November 2013
Idris Elba has revealed he was so convincing in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela that the former South African leader was fooled into believing he was in the film.
The Luther star said the ailing statesmen was shown a clip of the film which is released in the US next week and has generated Oscar buzz for his performance.
The actor spent hours studying news clips of the 95 year old Mandela to perfect his mannerisms and he also had a dialect coach to perfect his accent for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Is that me? Idris Elba revealed he was so convincing in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela that the former South African leader was fooled into believing he was in the film based on this scene
Convincing turn: Actor Idris Elba attends the New York premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom on Thursday after Mandela himself believed he'd appeared in the film
Elba said he was flattered when he heard Mandela mistook his portrayal for himself.
He said:'There is a scene in the end of film where I am walking. You cannot see my face, but it’s got the shirt and I'm walking up the hill. He said: ‘Is that me?'. How did you do that.'
Elba told ABC News the elder statesman had thought he was watching an actual news clip.
Good job: Idris said he was flattered when he heard Mandela mistook his portrayal for himself
The actor said it was an honour to play Mandela, playing him from his 20s until his late 70s.
He admitted that he thought he would not be able to pull off playing such a well known and loved figure.
'The main concern for me was the look-a-like thing. Everybody knows what he sounds like and what he looks like.
Long haul: The film shoot for Nelson Mandela: The Long Walk To Freedom lasted six months in South Africa
'So as much as I'm an actor, and I'm an ambitious one, it just seemed beyond the realms of what I could do.'
In an interview for Entertainment Weekly magazine Elba said he spent hours watching news clips of Mandela to perfect his accent.
But he said his own father, who was from Sierra Leone, also helped.
'There are certain ways that African men speak English, and Mandela and my dad sort of fall into similar category. They are very grammar conscious and like to use long words.'
The film shoot lasted six months in South Africa.
The trailer opens with scenes of conflict; guns being loaded, explosions and white soldiers rushing into combat, with the statements, 'public enemy #1', 'hunted by the police' and 'feared by the government' flashing in between.
His rock: Naomie Harris plays Mandela's wife Winnie and their love story plays out I the film from when she first captured his eye through her social activism by being the first black social worker in South Africa
Then the 'revolutionary, outlaw, rebel, radical, liberator' Nelson comes on to the screen, standing on a podium in front of a crowd of protestors at a race rally.
It then introduces Naomie, 36, as Winnie and their love story from when she first captured Nelson's eye through her social activism by being the first black social worker in South Africa.
He describes her as 'the most beautfiul girl I've ever seen', but their love story is not the main narrative arc of the movie, for Nelson's 67 year role as a leader for black rights is the primary focus of the man who says in the trailer 'Freedom, it is an ideal of which I am prepared to die.'
The film is directed by British filmmaker Justin Chadwick - of The Other Boleyn Girl and BBC's Bleak House fame - while the script was penned by William Nicholson who was nominated for an Academy award for Gladiator, and wrote the screenplay for last year's critical and box-office success Les Miserablé.
Oscar nod? The film is directed by British filmmaker Justin Chadwick - of The Other Boleyn Girl while the script was penned by William Nicholson who was nominated for an Academy award for Gladiator
Leading roles: Idris Elba and Naomi Harris who plays Madela's wife Winnie in the film attended the screening of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom in New York City
Directed by Justin Chadwick (Bleak House, The Other Boleyn Girl), the biopic is based on Nelson Mandela’s autobiography.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom chronicles the life of the freedom fighter from his childhood in his small rural village to his days as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
On Friday, both Elba and Harris attended a private White House screening of the film, hosted by President Barack Obama.
Guests of honor: Both Elba and Harris attended a special White House screening of the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
The Weinstein Company's biopic could be a potential Oscar contender for the season.
Currently, Elba can be seen on big screens in Thor: The Dark World, while Harris will reprise her role as Ms. Moneypenny in the next James Bond feature.
It was recently claimed that the Luther star is expecting a baby with girlfriend Naiyana Garth. if true, this will be the second child for the British actor, as he already has an 11-year-old daughter Isan from his previous marriage to Dormowa Sherman.
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is released in the US on November 29 and in the UK on January 3, 2014.
Phew, he made it! Idris Elba looks a little poorly as he mops his brow at Mandela premiere in South Africa a day after being hospitalised for asthma attack
PUBLISHED: 19:31, 3 November 2013 | UPDATED: 19:47, 3 November 2013
It was looking a little hit or miss whether Idris Elba would be able to attend the premiere of his latest film Mandela: A Long Walk Of Freedom after he was rushed to hospital on Saturday after suffering an asthma attack as he was due to fly to South Africa.
But on Sunday evening the 41-year-old actor showed nothing was going to get in the way of him and the film's premiere – not even a serious health scare - as he walked the red carpet in Johannesburg alongside his co-star Naomie Harris.
Looking perhaps not entirely back to full health, Idris, who plays Mandela in the film, was seen mopping his brow before taking his seat alongside Minnie Madikizela-Mandela – the ex wife of Nelson Mandela.
Not quite recovered: Idris Elba arrived at the premiere of Mandela on Sunday in South Africa after asthma attack on Saturday
Dressed to impress in a sharp black suit with a thin white black tie, the London-born star put his health worries behind his as he chatted away to the South African press and the politician Winnie.
Naomie Harris, who takes on the role of Winnie in the film, looked sensational wearing a one-shoulder white dress featuring a sheer and sequined tulle section.
Idris was due to fly out to South Africa on Saturday for a press conference ahead of the biopics premiere.
Nothing was going to stop him: Idris was clearly determined to make it to the premiere of his latest film
However after suffering an asthma attack on a plane ready to take-off he was hospitalised.
The film's producer Anant Singh told reporters:'Idris is in hospital after an asthma attack on the plane last night,'
Speaking previously about getting into character for the movie, Elba told the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye's that he spent a night on Robben Island, locked in a cell next to the one where Mandela was jailed for 18 years.
Biopic: Idris takes on the role of Mandela in the film which he prepared for by that he spendding a night on Robben Island, locked in a cell next to the one where Mandela was jailed for 18 years
Plenty to chat about: Idris took a seat beside Mandela's second wife Winnie Madikizela Mandela at the premiere
Something to laugh about: Idris has a giggle with Winnie and her daughter Zindzi
Stealing the show: Naomie Harris, who plays Winnie in the film, stunned in her white dress with a tulle section
He said: 'I wanted the audience to know what it was like once Mandela and his colleagues were jailed and the crowds dissipated.'
The actor travelled around South Africa researching the role and wrote to the authorities on Robben Island (now a heritage site) to ask if he could stay in the jail. Initially, they turned him down, but later they recanted.
‘Look, we turn the key and you’ll be here till we let you out again at eight in the morning,’ a security man told him.
Taking it seriously: Elba went to extreme lengths to get into character for the role
‘It was a s***hole,’ Elba said. ‘I had a thin blanket for a mattress and that’s all there was between me and the concrete floor. They gave me a bowl. I had no water, nothing to drink at all. I was wearing my sweats and whatnot. I had two iPads to document myself and a cell phone.
‘Mr Mandela spent 18 years in the cell next to mine. It was a tiny room; the man turned the key and as I saw him walk away, it was plunged into darkness.
‘Before he went, he gave me a number to call if I wanted to be released. Later I checked my phone, but there was no signal. I was there for the whole night, whether I liked it or not. I slept for about an hour in total. There were ghosts there - of course there were! - because people had died there. I woke in the night and a massive cold thing hit my face, almost like cold water . . . it was obviously a spirit.
‘The wind made the cell bars make this ringing sound that echoed throughout the building. They clanged all night. I was on my own, but I wasn’t alone.
‘Later, every time I did the cell scenes in the film, I thought of that night. It wasn’t pretend for me.’
The film will be released in the UK on January 3.
What a charmer: Idris posed with with Graca Machel, wife of former president Nelson Mandela
In character: Idris as the politician in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, due for release next year
