Idris Elba has revealed he was so convincing in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela that the former South African leader was fooled into believing he was in the film.Convincing turn: Actor Idris Elba attends the New York premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom on Thursday after Mandela himself believed he'd appeared in the film
The Luther star said the ailing statesmen was shown a clip of the film which is released in the US next week and has generated Oscar buzz for his performance.
The actor spent hours studying news clips of the 95 year old Mandela to perfect his mannerisms and he also had a dialect coach to perfect his accent for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Elba said he was flattered when he heard Mandela mistook his portrayal for himself.
He said:'There is a scene in the end of film where I am walking. You cannot see my face, but it's got the shirt and I'm walking up the hill. He said: 'Is that me?'. How did you do that.'
Elba told ABC News the elder statesman had thought he was watching an actual news clip.
The actor said it was an honour to play Mandela, playing him from his 20s until his late 70s.
He admitted that he thought he would not be able to pull off playing such a well known and loved figure.
'The main concern for me was the look-a-like thing. Everybody knows what he sounds like and what he looks like.
Source: DailyMail.co.uk
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