Idris Elba: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me (‘My Celebrity Crush Is Meryl Streep’)

Idris Elba can do it all! From action flicks like Prometheus and the Thor franchise to voicing an animated buffalo in Disney’s Zootopia, the Luther alum's acting career knows no bounds. With a starring role in 2017’s much-anticipated The Dark Tower — an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel — the Beasts of No Nation star, 43, has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors. He also found time to cohost the 2016 Met Gala with Taylor Swift and Anna Wintour and design a clothing line, Idris Elba + Superdry, which is available at superdry.com.

Elba, who stars as Krall in Star Trek Beyond (in theaters now), shared 25 interesting facts about himself exclusively with Us Weekly.

1. On any given day, I’d take a sweat suit over a custom-made suit.

2. I danced with Taylor Swift at the Met Gala, and Anna Wintour a couple of times, too.

3. Most embarrassing moment: I once wore my radio mic to the toilet, and I had a really bad stomach.

4. I met my first girlfriend at the age of 11. She was lovely. She wouldn’t let me kiss her, though.

5. I want to do comedy because I’m hilarious!

6. My favorite song of all time is “Darling I Need Your Loving” by an old reggae guy called John Holt.

7. I like to snack on pistachios.

8. I wear the leather jacket from my Superdry clothing line all the time, even in the summer.

9. I prefer phone calls over text messages. Texts can get misinterpreted. On a phone call, you can say, “Well, what do you mean by that?”

10. But when I’m texting, my favorite emojis are the pound fist and the 100.

11. I deejay. I’ll shamelessly plug that I just dropped a record of my own called “Spectacle,” which I edited.

12. When I was 8 years old, I deejayed for my mom’s and dad’s birthday parties and house parties. I felt like a big man.

13. My favorite thing about being a father [of daughter Isan, 14, and son Winston, 2] is seeing them absorb something I taught them. I love having that influence.

14. When I’m at the bar, I choose rum and Coke. It’s refreshing and doesn’t really get you wasted.

15. I want to work with Denzel Washington one day. He’s a hero of mine.

16. On a cheat day, I’d have cheesecake with dulce de leche ice cream and whipped cream.

17. My celebrity crush is Meryl Streep. When I met her, my tongue swelled up in my mouth!

18. The weirdest gift a fan gave me was a papier-mâché box.

19. The first thing I pack when I’m traveling is my flip-flops.

20. I’m a bit self-conscious about my feet. They’re not pretty, but I like them being out. 

21. In women, my favorite qualities are patience and understanding.

22. My specialty in the kitchen is steak and hard-poached eggs. I season the steak up!

23. My favorite place to shoot is Africa. I love Africa.

24. If I were an animal, I’d be a lion: I protect my family. I like to chill out in the grass all day, man. Looking good with my long hair.

25. My biggest pet peeves in people are impatience, intolerance and rudeness. There’s no point. No need.

 

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