"I did a lot of things, some things I'm not proud of."
It turns out Idris Elba was selling weed in order to get by, years before hitting it big time on the acting circuit.
This was a time long before voicing Knuckles in 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2', years previous to starring opposite Beyonce in 'Obsessed', and before hitting the big time as Stringer Bell in 'The Wire'.
Elba dropped his backstory ounce during his recent appearance on 'The Jess Cagle Show', speaking about his early days trying to make it as an actor in the States. He said his acting career "fell flat on its face very quickly for about four years," during which time he had to make alternative ways of getting by.
He opened up about his previous work ventures, admitting: "I did a lot of things, some things I'm not proud of... I used to sell weed. Can I say that on the show?"
Assured that he was in the clear, he continued: "I did that for a little bit just to, you know, help pay the way. I DJ'ed quite a bit. I was a doorman. I was a doorman at Caroline's Comedy Club [in New York], which is fascinating now, when I meet the comedians that you kind of remember the English guy. Tall English guy with the funny accent and the little hair.
"David Chappelle remembers me 'cause he used to buy weed from me. Anyway, moving on. Yeah, I did all kinds of things to be honest, all kinds of things."
Idris Elba and his weed-selling days are well and truly behind him. While he appeared in numerous TV series and films during his early years, it wasn't until 'The Wire' that he became an actor to keep track of. His role as Heimdall in MCU's 'Thor' further boosted his profile, which was also around the same time his BBC series 'Luther' became a highly-regarded series.
Catch the voice of Elba as Knuckles in the latest family blockbuster 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2'. A spin-off TV series is also in the pipeline for the brutish video game character.
