Britain's Idris Elba named People mag's 'sexiest man alive'

Record ID: 1363353

  • Title: Britain's Idris Elba named People mag's 'sexiest man alive'
  • Date: 6th November 2018
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JANUARY 30, 2016) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) *WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY* ACTOR IDRIS ELBA WITH DAUGHTER ISAN ELBA AT THE 22ND ANNUAL SAG AWARDS
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2018 05:49
  • Keywords: Idris Elba Sexiest Man Dwayne Johnson The Rock Denzel Washington black actor People magazine
  • Location: BEVERLY HILLS AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES/LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BEVERLY HILLS AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES/LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA00295DA9N1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:British actor Idris Elba was named the sexiest man alive on Monday (Nov. 5) by People magazine, becoming only the third non-white man to win the annual honor.
    Elba, 46, who fans want to be the next person to play James Bond, is one of Britain's best-known stars and won a Golden Globe for his lead role in BBC television detective series "Luther."
    But the London-born actor didn't believe it when People magazine told him about his new title.
    "I was like, 'Come on, no way. Really?'" Elba told the celebrity publication. "Looked in the mirror, I checked myself out. I was like, 'Yeah, you are kind of sexy today.' But to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a nice surprise - an ego boost for sure."
    Elba, who played a Norse god in "Thor" and appeared in U.S. television series "The Wire," joins an list of actors and singers like Blake Shelton, Chris Hemsworth, Adam Levine, George Clooney and Channing Tatum who have been given the title in recent years.
    Only two other men - African-American star Denzel Washington in 1996 and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose mother is Samoan and whose father is black Canadian, in 2016 - have not been white since People magazine started its sexiest man alive feature in 1985.
    Elba, the son of African immigrants to Britain, has been the subject of a long campaign by fans to take over Daniel Craig's role as secret agent James Bond in the lucrative 007 movie franchise after the next Bond film, due for release in 2020.
    Elba in August stoked the rumors that he was set to become the first black actor to play Bond when he posted a cryptic Twitter message using one of the character's best-known lines - "My name's Elba, Idris Elba," the actor tweeted.
    Days later he shut down the rumors, telling reporters in London that he was not going to be the next Bond.
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