- Title: Idris Elba talks press intrusion at '100 Streets' premiere
- Date: 8th November 2016
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 8, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS GEMMA ARTERTON, SAYING: "I know Idris, he's a pal. He sent me the script and said, 'Would you play my wife?' and I was like, 'Yeah, all right then.' And also you know the fact that it's... I live in Battersea and it's [the film] set in Battersea and Chelsea and so it was sort of cool to work on my own doorstep, in places that I know and love and, yeah, it was lovely." GEMMA ARTERTON BEING INTERVIEWED ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS GEMMA ARTERTON, SAYING: "I really support independent cinema. I think it's struggling right now, so it needs all the support it can get." '100 STREETS' WRITER LEON BUTLER POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WRITER LEON BUTLER, SAYING: "Obviously, I raised the money myself, through private equity and then, I was very fortunate, Idris got involved after about six months after finishing the first draft of the script and then obviously that helped a lot to raise money."
- Embargoed: 23rd November 2016 20:53
- Keywords: 100 streets film cinema London Idris Elba Gemma Arterton
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK; VARIOUS UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK; VARIOUS UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA00657L6XJH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITOR PLEASE NOTE: THE SCRIPT FOR THIS EDIT CONTAIN PROFANE LANGUAGE
Idris Elba hit out at press intruding on actors' personal lives at the London premiere of '100 Streets' on Tuesday (November 8).
The actor, best known for his work on HBO series 'The Wire' and 'Star Trek Beyond' was speaking to Reuters about Prince Harry's statement released on Tuesday criticising media for intruding into the private life of his American girlfriend Meghan Markle, saying the press had subjected her to "a wave of abuse and harassment".
Elba told Reuters: "Press have got to do a job, haven't they? That's it. But, you know, the bottom line is that real people are real people even though we're actors."
The actor has recently been linked to singer Madonna and British model Jourdan Dunn. On October 31, he tweeted: 'Am I sleeping with Madonna? No motherfuckers… "Don't believe the Hype".'
Elba was in London for the premiere of upcoming film '100 Streets', which also stars actress Gemma Arterton.
The film is set in the south west London areas of Battersea and Chelsea and focuses on three stories, which all slightly interconnect.
One strand tells the story of a drug dealer who befriends an ageing actor and another centres on a taxi driver whose life is torn apart by an accident.
Elba and Arterton play a married couple whose marriage is disintegration due to his infidelity.
'100 Streets' was written by Leon Butler, a former quantity surveyor, had no experience in the film world before making the movie. He raised the 3 million pounds needed to get the film made from private equity and managed to rope in Idris Elba, who got Gemma Arterton on board.
Arterton told Reuters how she got involved in the project.
"I know Idris, he's a pal. He sent me the script and said, 'Would you play my wife?' and I was like, 'Yeah, all right then.' And also you know the fact that it's... I live in Battersea and it's [the film] set in Battersea and Chelsea and so it was sort of cool to work on my own doorstep, in places that I know and love and, yeah, it was lovely."
Both Arterton and Elba spoke of their love for independent situation, with Elba saying it is important for actors to use their 'power' to get films off the ground.
"It's really satisfying when you do a homegrown thing because it's really hard, you know," he said. "The independent film committee takes a long time to get a film off the ground, so to be able to use, you know, whatever power I have to get a film off the ground is always more satisfying than getting a big blockbuster."
'100 Streets' is released in UK cinemas on November 11. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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