What an honor it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world.

One of my first jobs was in a soap opera, five days a week. And what I found is, although there are different directors coming in and different crews, you just lived in your character. It's the nature of the story, the ongoing story, and it can get deeper and deeper.

I was on a well-beaten path of actors - what we all call 'the Law and Order route'. I spent two years of auditioning for everything... and then 'The Wire' came up.

There has been a big debate about it: can a black man play a Nordic character?

Every single film I've done, it's about the character.

Every leading lady I work with, I'll see if I can get a song out of them and put it on an album.

In some countries, no one knows who Idris Elba is.