It's not Al Pacino, it's not Denzel Washington, it's actuallly Idris Elba.
... who we interviewed, so basically that means we're kind of pals with Obama. Tenuous we know, but just go with it. Anyhoo, star of Pacific Rim Elba has impressed President Barack Obama with his acting skills. So if this isn't enough of a ringing endorsement to have Elba play the next James Bond (marking him the first ever black actor to take on the role) then we don't know what is. All we need now is the Queen to jump on board and he'll sail onto the set.
The 40-year-old star plays cop John Luther in TV drama 'Luther' and has found an unlikely fan in the US leader, who admitted he is addicted to the show because he can relate to the character.
Idris said: 'The Obamas invited me to the White House and I had fun, a good time. David Cameron and his wife [Samantha] were there - he is a 'Luther' fan and so is Barack Obama.
'When I saw the president I said, 'Mr. President, I hear I am not your favourite character in 'The Wire' ', and he said, 'Well, yeah, but Luther - that's me.' '
What makes Elba even more affable is the fact that he doesn't even consider himself a star. Despite starring as the lead role in Pacific Rim, he's been quoted commenting on the fact that there's no big names in the movie:
'You pay £15 to see this movie and essentially there is not a star in it. I'm not [a star]. This is a worldwide market - when this opens in Japan they are not going to say, 'Oh, Idris Elba!'
Well, Obama certainly will!
