Idris Elba Wouldn’t Cast His Daughter For A Weird Reason
He's getting socks this year for Christmas.
Idris Elba is one of the most well-known actors in the world thanks to a robust resume that includes prominent roles in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. As someone who was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in World back in 2016, it’s safe to assume he’s got a lot of pull when it comes to things like pitching ideas to producers or even getting a family member a role in one of his movies. In fact, the opportunity to have his daughter Isan star alongside him did come about during the filming of the action-thriller Beast, yet she failed to land a role. Oddly enough, it was her own father who refused to cast her.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Idris Elba sat down with Beast producer, Will Packer, where they discussed the new thriller. At one point, Elba mentions that his daughter had auditioned for a role in the film, but ultimately, she didn’t make the cut. As it turns out, it all boiled down to the pair’s onscreen chemistry, or lack thereof.
“Interestingly enough, my daughter auditions for this role,” Idris Elba said on The Breakfast Club. “She wants to be an actress and she auditioned, and it came down to chemistry in the end. The relationship in the film and the relationship between my daughter was, the chemistry wasn’t right for the film, weirdly enough.”
After not getting the part, Idris Elba told The Breakfast Club his daughter didn’t talk to him “for about three weeks.” It may have been longer had the actor had to break the news to Isan himself, but it was producer Will Packer who ultimately had to tell her she wouldn’t be starring in the movie with her father. “He auditioned with her [and] he was very tough on her,” Packer said. “[Elba] said, ‘Listen, at the end of the day we’re going to make the best decision for the movie. I trust you, Will, trust the director,’ and she was very good, very close.”
Although the decision not to cast his daughter clearly caused some tension between Idris Elba and his daughter, it’s refreshing to know the actor refrained from giving her a part merely because of their relationship. As of now, Isan only has one acting credit to her name, a short film titled Crimson Tides. If producer Will Packer is right in that “she was very good”, it’s likely we’ll be seeing the aspiring actress in a motion picture somewhere down the road.
In the meantime, you can catch Idris Elba in his latest flick Beast, which is now playing theaters. The film follows a father and his two teenage daughters, who find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion intent on proving the Savanna has but one apex predator. Martin Munro, Chris Langa, Daniel Hadebe, Leah Jeffries and Sharlto Copley also star. The movie is directed by Baltasar Kormákur from a script by Ryan Engle.
Next up for Idris Elba is a feature film based on the popular television series, Luther. In the show, Luther is a near-genius murder detective whose brilliant mind can’t always save him from the dangerous violence of his passions. The film will likely pick up where the fifth and final season of Luther ended. Jamie Payne directs from a script by Neil Cross.
