First great discovery — he was in American Gangster with Denzel Washington. There's a movie I did see and thoroughly enjoyed. Second plus — his new movie, Takers, is an action flick. That works for me. My friends still laugh when I say my favorite movie is Die Hard — the original.
Elba, I might add, laughed too.
I headed to a media junket at the Ritz in Boston to sit down with the actor/musician. He's British-born, acts on both sides of the pond and is busy. I mean busy! Then again, when your day job involves jumping out of a helicopter, walking away and blowing it up, well, let's just say the hours are probably worth it in the cool category. Elba definitely seems to feel that way and cites that experience as the best part of making action films.
Beyond the big screen, Elba shared that Boston is one of his favorite cities. He likes the people here, feels like our sense of humor is in line with his. He also shared that the city reminds him of England, and therefore, home. And, I learned, he keeps tabs on some of our sports teams.
"I watched Boston and the Lakers," he said. "I was rooting for Boston — and I'm not just saying that. I just thought their team spirit was healthier and real."
Of course, being British-born, soccer is Elba's oldest sport. But even he admits, his time in the States has had an impact.
"I have to tell you, my patience for football is starting to wear out," he said. "I'm used to basketball. I'm used to American football — where something happens. In soccer, you could run around for 85 minutes and all you're doing is seeing 22 men running around kicking this ball about."
Elba's a pretty funny guy. Stay tuned to NESN Daily to catch my chat with him. Takers hits theaters later this month. I may not see a lot of movies, but this one, I'd like to check out.
