Idris Elba reveals why he's never watched The Wire and never will
The 52-year-old actor had his breakout US role was criminal Russell 'Stringer' Bell on the first three seasons of the hit HBO drama from 2002 to 2004, but he has admitted he never took the time to tune in "as a fan".
He told Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast: "If I'm really honest, like, I didn't watch The Wire.
'And I feel bad. It's not that I'm not a fan of it. I was there. I made a show that was, you know, was so intense and so real, so important. 'And even though we didn't realise — I didn't realise the importance of the show while making it.
"I didn't participate in its celebration as a viewer, as a fan. And so I feel a little bit outside of the club."
Amy asked if he could start watching now, two decades, later, but he replied: "No, man."
The Heads of State actor admitted that after his character was killed off, he wasn't able to see the show in the same way.
He explained: 'It's more that I feel the presence of it all, my life since The Wire… In terms of its impact.
"So to me, it was almost a bit like I was Stringer Bell. I'm not Stringer Bell, but I also feel like when Stringer Bell died, there was a part of me that died with that character.
"It's weird for me to go back and watch it."
He also pointed out that, generally as an actor, he doesn't enjoy "watching" himself back.
He added: "I don't like being overly conscious of what my performance is like or whatever because it makes me conscious about doing it.
"I like being in it rather than watching it.'
Amy had apologised for bringing up the show, which she predicted he has spoken about "over and over again".
However, he said: "The truth is that I actually don't speak about The Wire as much as people might think, even though I am definitely, at least once a day, someone says, 'Bro, Stringer Bell! The Wire!' Whatever it is.
"And, you know, it really does, it surprises me how much impact that show had.
"In a good way, it surprises me continuously that, you know, multi-generationally, it's still being talked to [by] people that weren't even born then."
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