Idris Elba was so worried about being cast as South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela in the biopic 'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom' that he hung up the phone on his agent when he was first approached about the role.
The 41-year-old actor was so worried about being cast as South Africa's first black president in the biopic 'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom' he refused to consider the idea and he even tried to pass the role onto Morgan Freeman - who played Mandela in 2009 film 'Invictus'.
Speaking in the January issue of Reader's Digest magazine, he said: ''You know, I was really, really sensitive [about the role].
My agent called up to ask if I wanted to play Mandela and I put the phone down on him. I was like, no way. Mandela? Couldn't do it.
''You're asking me to play Mandela, do you think I'm going to play a f***ing Disney Mandela? Don't ask me to do that yeah?
''Then I thought to myself, called him back and said, 'Can I be honest? If it's a grey-haired version of the fist-pumping Mandela, I'm not the actor to bring in. I'm not Morgan, go with Morgan.''
Idris - who plays a younger version of Mandela showing his struggle as a younger man against apartheid rule in South Africa - is being tipped for an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the late Nelson Mandela, who died aged 95 last Thursday (05.12.13) following prolonged lung problems.