Idris Elba Talks THOR; Says "It's An Extraordinary Visual Spectacular"

Idris Elba Talks THOR; Says "It's An Extraordinary Visual Spectacular"

Actor Idris Elba who portrays the guardian of Asgard, Heimdall in Kenneth Branagh - directed comic book adaptation THOR, talks about what was it like playing this great character and more. Check it out!

By WolvieCBM - Apr 02, 2011 07:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Thor
Source: Guardian



Talking to Guardian, Idris Elba shared some oh his thoughts on playing the all-seeing guardian of Asgard, in Marvel Studios' highly anticipated big screen adaptation of THOR.

"It's an extraordinary visual spectacular," says Elba. "It's different from anything else I've done; but at the same time, it's been pointed out to me that here I am playing a central, solid figure again – the one that people should trust. Take Stringer or Luther – that seems to be a common denominator in the characters I play."


When he was asked by Kenneth Branagh to be part of the great cast, Elba says that he little hesitated about playing the Norse god at the start:

"When Kenneth asked me to be part of it, I did find myself questioning race," Elba confesses. "But Kenneth hadn't even given that a thought. He just needed an actor who has presence and command, and felt that I fitted the bill."

"It was so refreshing – and a testament to him as an actor and director that his casting was genuinely colour blind. I feel very proud of being part of that movie."


THOR is set to hit theatres on May 6!

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vermillion
vermillion - 4/2/2011, 7:31 PM
May 6th is almost here! Can't wait. :D
Gmoney84
Gmoney84 - 4/2/2011, 7:31 PM
Can't wait for this!
Shua
Shua - 4/2/2011, 7:36 PM
And we are very happy to have you Idris!!!
dahamma
dahamma - 4/2/2011, 7:39 PM
@Shua Right!

Idris Elba gonna ROCK as Heimdall!! screw the haters. This entire filmwill be frikkin awesome all over!
Retardo
Retardo - 4/2/2011, 7:42 PM
I dont mind the different effnicity, but i think Branagh shouldve gone with someone who has experience with the fantasy genre, like Djimon Hounsou, he would b epic! Still Elba is cool!

Still people, check out my Flash fan cast please!
MARVELous
MARVELous - 4/2/2011, 7:42 PM
i support this film and i support Idris Elba as Heimdall!!!
kurekurcubic
kurekurcubic - 4/2/2011, 7:44 PM
amazing actor.so sorry that he isnt alex ross
BrotherQStark
BrotherQStark - 4/2/2011, 7:46 PM
NeoBaggins
NeoBaggins - 4/2/2011, 7:49 PM
I believe in Idris Elba.


OPEN THE BIFROST!!!!

SHHH
SHHH - 4/2/2011, 8:03 PM
Bring It!
DDD
DDD - 4/2/2011, 8:10 PM
BADASS HEIMDALL, I tell you what!

I believe in IDRIS ELBA too!

All Hail the Gods of Nord!
greenlanter13
greenlanter13 - 4/2/2011, 8:32 PM
Cool can't wait for thor
Reasonnnn
Reasonnnn - 4/2/2011, 8:45 PM
Idris Elba is a fantastic actor.

Anyone who has problem with race crap are just white supremacists.
tazmaniak
tazmaniak - 4/2/2011, 8:50 PM
"I dont mind the different effnicity, but i think Branagh shouldve gone with someone who has experience with the fantasy genre, like Djimon Hounsou, he would b epic! Still Elba is cool!"

He's not the writer, director or producer.He's an actor.He doesn't need previous experience with doing fantasy.As long as he's a good actor, he can play his part.
BatLantern
BatLantern - 4/2/2011, 9:07 PM
dudes got chops.
ngu13
ngu13 - 4/2/2011, 9:23 PM
N -@ dont expect much in 3d .....trust me cap in 3d wont be any ... my bloody valantine was shot useing dif 3d ...thats why when he threw the axe every 1 moved ...clash of titans ....the best is gana be 2 years ..v3d ....what we get is a 3d convertion even avatar nothing flew out at me .
superpooper
superpooper - 4/2/2011, 9:26 PM
I love Idris Elba. I'm a HUGE "Luther" fan. I'm not a racist and if you say I am you're an idiot. I still don't understand casting a black man as a Norse God. I didn't like it when they cast Micheal Clark Duncan as Kingpin in Daredevil. I hated it when they cast Al Simmons best friend as a white man in Spawn. In this case it just doesn't seem right to me and brings into question the authenticity of this movie. That doesn't mean I won't be there to see it because I still think it's going to kick major ass, but my opinion is that in this particular case casting a black man as Heimdall seems wrong. If you believe that's racist then you're a bigger part of the racism problem then you might think. If Branagh is suggesting that the Asgardians are actually aliens rather than Deities than it could make sense, but otherwise i disagree with the decision. Would it be right to cast Matt Damon as T'Challa? No. Going by this logic though it shouldn't make any difference, right? I approved of SLJ as Nick Fury because not only was it based on the "Ultimate Universe" (which was based on SLJ), but he was just hands down awesome as the character. Otherwise, I don't see why characters keep having their races changed.
NeoBaggins
NeoBaggins - 4/2/2011, 9:35 PM
Wait a minute... this a 3D conversion?
Rango
Rango - 4/2/2011, 9:43 PM
@superpooper
examples:
Akira and the Last Airbender.
pitchblack
pitchblack - 4/2/2011, 9:54 PM
Stringer Bell!
MARVELous
MARVELous - 4/2/2011, 10:20 PM
@superpooper

i don't know if they'll address this in the movie but in the Marvel comics continuity, the Asgardians are an extra-dimensional race of beings so advanced that they were worshipped by the Norsemen as gods.
80sFace
80sFace - 4/2/2011, 10:39 PM
Interesting he didn't say the film was great, he said the visuals were great. Hope the story rocks even more than the look.
Lert
Lert - 4/2/2011, 10:55 PM
cant wait for Green Lantern~
GoddamnBatman
GoddamnBatman - 4/2/2011, 11:20 PM
Guess we can't bash MCD for portraying Kingpin anymore.
FtLoiterDale
FtLoiterDale - 4/2/2011, 11:36 PM
@SynisterUrge... Great Comment! Lol

Thor is going to be badass this summer. Everyone will enjoy the movie no matter what they may think!

Where's a good Grif comment when you need one..
VanCityKid
VanCityKid - 4/2/2011, 11:52 PM
Thor,GL and Cap are gonna be very visually different from eachother and theyre gonna look great on their own..

NeoBaggins
NeoBaggins - 4/3/2011, 12:28 AM
"DAYUM, THAT'S WACK" is something you'll hear a WHITE PERSON say in a movie.

Ignorance is ironic.
ImInteresting
ImInteresting - 4/3/2011, 1:06 AM
tommy boy
NeoBaggins
NeoBaggins - 4/3/2011, 1:19 AM
ralphmouth I agree. Great choice and awesome actor. He will continue to get paid and make movies that YOU watch.
jazzman
jazzman - 4/3/2011, 1:49 AM
@superpooper

they not actually gods but more alien race they only been worship as gods.

@ralphmouth

so what they casted him to create diversity it already has a diverse casting cause a Asian is in Asgard.

shocking a Black Viking how dare they wait the Germans who are also nordic casted a black man in Vicky the Viking played by Gunther Kaufmann.

superpooper
superpooper - 4/3/2011, 2:42 AM
@MARVELous @Jazzman As I said, if that's the case then at least I can make sense of it. Of course in the comics Heimdal is white, but since he is just a background character a background character and more or less scenery, I won't nitpick this "little" detail. I still would prefer they cast characters as they were depicted in the comics and not change their race to satisfy some morality issue stemming from their own perceived "white guilt". Too me that's more racist since rather than TRULY not making race an issue and portraying the character as they are, you are perpetuating a belief that the world somehow owes races that have been discriminated against, rather than finally coming to terms with the fact that we are all equal and all beautiful (especially me) no matter what color we are and that each of us have so much to offer in our own way. In America, we finally have a Black President. There are more and more black men and women becoming entrepreneurs every day. They are successful athletes and entertainers, businessmen and doctors...the list goes on. They don't need Hollywood to "throw them a bone" and that's what I find insulting about it. Yes, in America there are still bigots, and there is still much progress to made, but I believe that progress will come with taking away the power of racism by giving it no power. That means giving it no place in our hearts or our minds, and letting it become first an anachronism in a modern age and then only a fading memory, soon to be forgotten entirely. SOOOO...that being said, just to remind you that I'm indeed a moron and a jackass I'll say something stupid. Pubes!
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