MANDELA MISTOOK HIMSELF FOR IDRIS ELBA

'Is that me?' Idris Elba's portrayal of Nelson Mandela was so convincing the man himself was fooled into thinking he was in new film



*Idris Elba has revealed he was so convincing in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela that the former South African leader was fooled into believing he was in the film.
The Luther star said the ailing statesmen was shown a clip of the film which is released in the US next week and has generated Oscar buzz for his performance.

The actor spent hours studying news clips of the 95 year old Mandela to perfect his mannerisms and he also had a dialect coach to perfect his accent for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.



Is that me? Idris Elba revealed he was so convincing in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela that the former South African leader was fooled into believing he was in the film based on this scene

 

Convincing turn: Actor Idris Elba attends the New York premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom on Thursday after Mandela himself believed he'd appeared in the film



Elba said he was flattered when he heard Mandela mistook his portrayal for himself.

He said:'There is a scene in the end of film where I am walking. You cannot see my face, but it’s got the shirt and I'm walking up the hill. He said: ‘Is that me?'. How did you do that.'

Elba told ABC News the elder statesman had thought he was watching an actual news clip.



Good job: Idris said he was flattered when he heard Mandela mistook his portrayal for himself



The actor said it was an honour to play Mandela, playing him from his 20s until his late 70s.

He admitted that he thought he would not be able to pull off playing such a well known and loved figure.

'The main concern for me was the look-a-like thing. Everybody knows what he sounds like and what he looks like.




Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom official UK trailer




Long haul: The film shoot for Nelson Mandela: The Long Walk To Freedom lasted six months in South Africa



'So as much as I'm an actor, and I'm an ambitious one, it just seemed beyond the realms of what I could do.'

In an interview for Entertainment Weekly magazine Elba said he spent hours watching news clips of Mandela to perfect his accent.

But he said his own father, who was from Sierra Leone, also helped.

'There are certain ways that African men speak English, and Mandela and my dad sort of fall into similar category. They are very grammar conscious and like to use long words.'

The film shoot lasted six months in South Africa.

The trailer opens with scenes of conflict; guns being loaded, explosions and white soldiers rushing into combat, with the statements, 'public enemy #1', 'hunted by the police' and 'feared by the government' flashing in between.



His rock: Naomie Harris plays Mandela's wife Winnie and their love story plays out I the film from when she first captured his eye through her social activism by being the first black social worker in South Africa



Then the 'revolutionary, outlaw, rebel, radical, liberator' Nelson comes on to the screen, standing on a podium in front of a crowd of protestors at a race rally.

It then introduces Naomie, 36, as Winnie and their love story from when she first captured Nelson's eye through her social activism by being the first black social worker in South Africa.


He describes her as 'the most beautfiul girl I've ever seen', but their love story is not the main narrative arc of the movie, for Nelson's 67 year role as a leader for black rights is the primary focus of the man who says in the trailer 'Freedom, it is an ideal of which I am prepared to die.'


The film is directed by British filmmaker Justin Chadwick - of The Other Boleyn Girl and BBC's Bleak House fame - while the script was penned by William Nicholson who was nominated for an Academy award for Gladiator, and wrote the screenplay for last year's critical and box-office success Les Miserablé.



Oscar nod? The film is directed by British filmmaker Justin Chadwick - of The Other Boleyn Girl while the script was penned by William Nicholson who was nominated for an Academy award for Gladiator



Leading roles: Idris Elba and Naomi Harris who plays Madela's wife Winnie in the film attended the screening of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom in New York City