This is from denofgeek.com - Interview 4
Idris Elba has a certain unmistakeable, charismatic vibe about him. The resulting magnetism extends to the wide range of characters he has brought to life over the years – from playing the
second-in-command to a drug kingpin in The Wire to playing a guy who has to deal with the likes like Michael Scott in The Office, to playing a dedicated horseman committed to fighting off gentrifying
developers in his neighborhood in the recently released Concrete Cowboy. Whether it's as a leading man or part of a larger ensemble, Elba's performances always stand out because of what he brings to each
role.
Later this summer, Elba will make his DC Extended Universe debut in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad – a comic book adaption full of talent who could carry their own features if given the opportunity. We
recently spoke with him about his role as the lesser-known comic character Bloodsport and what it was like to be part of such a chaotic batch of DC villains and antiheroes.
Q: How were you first approached for the role for Bloodsport, and what made you say yes?
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Elba: James Gunn reached out to me and said he had this project that he wanted to work on and didn't tell me what it was. We had a meeting pretty late at night [and] what was appealing to me was that it
wasn't a continuation of the last film, and this is a new character. I just wanted to see where James wanted to go with this new film and this new character. So that was really what drew me in.
Q: Bloodsport isn't a very famous character. So what did you learn about him and what freedom were you given to bring him to life?
Elba: Like you say, he's not very well known so I sort of traced his history back in the DC world. He's popped up in some places. He's more of the vigilante soldier type. He's not going to have special
powers, he's just a really good assassin, basically. That was pretty consistent throughout his history. There was a little bit of leniency between myself and James collaboratively just working it out...
what we want to bring to life. I felt very involved in that process, so essentially I got to bring him to life the way we wanted to.
Q: You're no stranger to superhero movies. You're an MCU alum and I consider Hobbs & Shaw a superhero movie because you played Brixton Lore, the fantastic "Black Superman" in it. Did you bring any of
those experiences to Bloodsport?
Elba: Playing any action character requires a level of
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