Idris Elba laments that British actors have to do Shakespeare to be taken seriously

Idris Elba is undeniably one of the most successful British actors of his generation. The five-time Emmy nominee has found success both on stage and on screen; he starred in one of TV's biggest series and was once considered a favorite to play James Bond (before retiring from the race).

Despite being considered one of the highest honors an English film star can achieve, Elba attributes much of his acting success to his decision to move to the United States. In a new interview with Esquire, he reflected on how working in America made it easier for him to find his niche as an artist.

"America gave me a technical understanding of my craft," Elba said. "It was an improvement. I learned a lot. American actors have always been great. Shakespeare's works live in a world of wonder, poetry, fairy tales, the language of beauty and eloquence. The performer uses a skill set that amplifies that. There's an air and a grace that a good English actor has to understand. In America, in an Arthur Miller play, you might have a guy who's only a guy: a guy from Pennsylvania, a guy from New York - just a guy, a human. American actors had this connection to real life. The accent and cadence of words in America makes for a really interesting stream of thoughts .”
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In addition to the artistic benefits, Elba said he also enjoys how American actors can be critically rewarded for working in a variety of genres. He compared it to what he saw as a limited environment in England, where Shakespearean actors were always held in higher regard than stars of mainstream film and television.

"In England I did a children's TV thing and then a soap opera," he said. "But unless I was doing Shakespeare, or one of those intellectual things that's outside of my current culture, I wasn't going to rise in this country as an actor. In America, it was like the sky was the limit. You didn't have to do Shakespeare to be a good actor. I found that really liberating."

Elba's vocal skills can currently be seen in the Oscar-nominated animated short, 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' - one of many varied roles the actor has landed.

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Idris Elba laments that British actors have to do Shakespeare to be taken seriously

Idris Elba is undeniably one of the most successful British actors of his generation. The five-time Emmy nominee has found success both on stage and on screen; he starred in one of TV's biggest series and was once considered a favorite to play James Bond (before retiring from the race).

Despite being considered one of the highest honors an English film star can achieve, Elba attributes much of his acting success to his decision to move to the United States. In a new interview with Esquire, he reflected on how working in America made it easier for him to find his niche as an artist.

"America gave me a technical understanding of my craft," Elba said. "It was an improvement. I learned a lot. American actors have always been great. Shakespeare's works live in a world of wonder, poetry, fairy tales, the language of beauty and eloquence. The performer uses a skill set that amplifies that. There's an air and a grace that a good English actor has to understand. In America, in an Arthur Miller play, you might have a guy who's only a guy: a guy from Pennsylvania, a guy from New York - just a guy, a human. American actors had this connection to real life. The accent and cadence of words in America makes for a really interesting stream of thoughts .”

Related Related

In addition to the artistic benefits, Elba said he also enjoys how American actors can be critically rewarded for working in a variety of genres. He compared it to what he saw as a limited environment in England, where Shakespearean actors were always held in higher regard than stars of mainstream film and television.

"In England I did a children's TV thing and then a soap opera," he said. "But unless I was doing Shakespeare, or one of those intellectual things that's outside of my current culture, I wasn't going to rise in this country as an actor. In America, it was like the sky was the limit. You didn't have to do Shakespeare to be a good actor. I found that really liberating."

Elba's vocal skills can currently be seen in the Oscar-nominated animated short, 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' - one of many varied roles the actor has landed.