Though hyper-aware in keeping with his gumshoe predecessor, Sherlock Holmes, Elba’s sleuth is by no means as reserved. He’s prone to head bashings and unpredictable table-flippings. In many ways, he’s the polar opposite of Stringer Bell, the methodical, stoic drug dealer Elba played for three seasons on HBO’s groundbreaking urban saga, The Wire. Then again, the London-born actor is fond of exploring new roles. Most people, he admits, are surprised when they discover his imposing 6’2” frame manning the decks at a local club, spinning the latest house thumpers under one of his many musical monikers. He also does some singing, crooning seductive island R&B under the name Driis. Is the man who just wrapped production on Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel, worried that audiences might dismiss these ventures as yet another celebrity vanity project? “There’s definitely the possibility that I’ll be pegged as that guy,” he says. “So I do everything in my power to not be him. If it happens, I’ll take it with a grain of salt.”

Idris Elba on Shedding Stringer Bell, Playing John Luther, and Why He Loves Being a DJ