Idris Elba Says ‘Grim’ Pre-Hollywood Job Keeps Him Motivated

At 52, Idris Elba has made a name for himself as an actor, a producer, and even a DJ who played at Coachella this year. He says he gets his drive from not forgetting what his pre-Hollywood life was like.

During an interview on the “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” podcast published on Tuesday, “The Wire” actor spoke about his career and how the challenges he faced before fame continue to motivate him.

Elba told host Amy Poehler that he didn’t find success until he was around 35 and that life before that was often difficult. “There were some very tough times,” he said.

Coming from a working-class family, Elba said he grew up without having much “at all,” adding that he had spent more of his life being poor than he has been famous or successful.

Part of what drives him is the fear of losing the success he’s worked so hard to achieve: “There’s part of it which is like, ‘I don’t want to let this go, so I just keep chucking for it,'” Elba said.

But the main thing that keeps him going is the memory of his pre-Hollywood job, he said. He used to work the “night shift” at the Ford Motor Company in Dagenham, East London.

“That is grim. It’s a grim job, all right,” Elba said. “Nothing compares to doing that, so when I get an opportunity to come and work with you, to come and work on a set, it doesn’t even feel like work.”

While it may seem to others that he’s working incredibly hard now that he’s famous, he doesn’t see it that way. “Actually, it’s not that hard,” he said.

Moreover, his Hollywood career allows him to try his hand at many different things, unlike his factory job.

“You know, in a job like that, I did the same thing every night. Every night for two straight years. My dad did the same job for 25 years, so I consider this a privilege. This ain’t work,” Elba said.

In a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter promoting his then-partnership with the automobile manufacturer, Elba said he worked at Ford in the ’80s because of his dad.

“My dad didn’t want me to be a broke actor,” Elba told The Hollywood Reporter.

In a 2022 SiriusXM interview, the actor said he also used to work as a security guard at a comedy club in New York City, and even sold weed to some comedians, including Dave Chappelle.

In a 2023 podcast, Elba said that he started going to therapy because he was “an absolute workaholic.”

“It’s just because I have some unhealthy habits that have really formed. And I work in an industry that I’m rewarded for those unhealthy habits,” he said.

Elba isn’t the only actor who has spoken about their less-than-glamorous jobs before becoming famous. Christopher Walken used to work in a circus when he was a child, while Nicole Kidman used to be a massage therapist, and Hugh Jackman was a physical education teacher at a high school before getting his big acting break.

Representatives for Elba and Ford did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.