Idris Elba, the renowned actor known for his roles in “Luther” and “The Wire,” shared a harrowing memory of being threatened at gunpoint during an altercation in the United States. Speaking with the Daily Mail on Wednesday, the 50-year-old actor recounted the terrifying incident.
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According to Elba, the incident occurred when he attempted to intervene in a heated argument outside a club. A man was violently threatening his girlfriend, shouting menacingly at her. Concerned for the woman’s safety, Elba stepped in and told the man to treat his partner, whom he referred to as a “beautiful princess,” with respect.
“I nearly lost my f**king life, after attempting to stop a man threatening his girlfriend outside a club,” The Suicide Squad actor revealed.
“A guy (was) whaling on his missus, screaming in her face, ‘I’ll f**king kill you,’ and so on. I come round and I go ‘Look how beautiful she is. Why would you talk to this beautiful princess like that?'”
However, the situation quickly escalated when the man misunderstood Elba’s intentions and believed he was trying to hit on his girlfriend. In a shocking turn of events, the man pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Elba’s face, demanding to know why he was talking to his girl.
Elba claimed the man then, “Pulled out a gun, stuck it right in my face, and goes, ‘You talking about my girl?'”
“He thought I was trying to hit on her,” Elba recalled. “I remember thinking, ‘Don’t play negotiations like that’… Consequences, man.”
Reflecting on the incident, Elba admitted that he realised negotiating with someone holding a gun was a dangerous proposition. The gravity of the situation and the potential consequences were evident to him in that moment.
Elba’s experience with a dangerous confrontation is particularly relevant given his recent role in the Apple TV+ series “Hijack,” where he played a character on a flight from Dubai to London that turns into a hostage situation. While this was a fictional portrayal, his real-life encounter shows how unpredictably dangerous situations can arise in everyday life.
Despite the terrifying experience, Elba remains a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, continuing to captivate audiences with his powerful performances on screen.
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