Idris Elba is reflecting on the preparation process he underwent to portray Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
“In 2013, as I was getting ready to step into the role of Nelson Mandela for the film Long Walk to Freedom, I spent a night inside a prison cell on Robben Island—located 12 kilometers from Cape Town—where Mandela was incarcerated between 1964 and 1982,” Elba, 52, shared in a Sunday, January 26.
He went on to explain, “Being entrusted with the immense responsibility of portraying such an iconic figure was an incredible honor. Yet, until that night, I hadn’t fully comprehended the gravity of losing more than two decades of one’s life to imprisonment. I had to negotiate with the authorities to allow me to stay there overnight, and after some effort, they finally granted my request.”
Elba described the prison as a place “laden with painful memories” and “undoubtedly haunted.” He added that despite being alone, he “heard strange noises throughout the night,” which heightened the eerie atmosphere.
“I had only a bucket, a thin mattress, and a blanket. They left the lights on the entire time because that was the practice back then, and as a result, I barely slept,” Elba recalled. “It was an unsettling experience, but it deepened my connection to Mandela in a profound way.”
Idris Elba As Nelson Mendela (Photo: 20th Century Studios)The film chronicled Mandela’s extraordinary life, including his 27-year imprisonment before making history as South Africa’s first Black president, serving from 1994 to 1999.
Mandela passed away in 2013 at the age of 95. The announcement of his death coincided with the London premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, with the news breaking as the credits rolled. In tribute, the entire audience observed a two-minute moment of silence. Following the screening, the room erupted into applause and a standing ovation.
Upon the film’s release in 2013, Elba recalled feeling anxious about how South African audiences would receive it.
“In South Africa, the audience was very quiet, and I couldn’t quite understand why,” he recounted in an interview with Variety. “At first, I thought maybe they didn’t like it, but they were simply absorbing it. You have to remember, the fight for freedom in South Africa is only about 25 years old. When we arrived, the reaction was deeply genuine.”
Producer Anant Singh also shared Mandela’s reaction to seeing a scene from the film. “He watched Idris Elba portraying him as an older Mandela with the prosthetics and asked, ‘Is that me?’” Singh recalled, according to the outlet. “It was a really endearing moment—he smiled and laughed. It was wonderful to see.”