The 3rd
season of Luther already aired in Britain, I already seen it, and it will air
on BBC America starting September 3rd and ending September 6th,
don’t miss it, it is really good.
In the
new season Luther (Idris Elba) is once again facing the skeletons in his
closet. This time around Luther is under scrutiny by an ex-cop, who is determined
to bring him down, while trying to live a happy live with a new love interest,
Mary Day (Sienna Guillory). And what about Alice?
During
a recent interview about the new season of Luther, Elba talked about how much
his character changed from the first season, the overall theme of the 3rd
season, Alice and Mary, the prequel movie, how he balanced working on Pacific
Rim, Long Walk to Freedom, Thor 2 and Luther, and much more.
Question: What is the overall theme of Season 3?
ELBA: Internally, we wanted to get closer to Luther
and not follow a route of him getting more and more depressed, taking drugs and
wanting to shoot himself. We wanted to
get to know him a little bit better and find out what he would do under pressure. Understanding the legacy of everything he’s
lived with, how do we get into that?
Having him investigated was the ultimate autopsy on him. And we wanted to make that stretch over the
season, so that at the end, when we say the last words, “Now what?,” we wanted
the audience to say, “Now what?,” and literally look at Luther and go, “I don’t
know where you can go from here, pal.”
We wanted to really look at the weight of his actions and how that’s
changed him, or not changed him. At the
same time, we want to really keep our audience thrilled. Our bad guys in Luther are always vivid and
horrible, but we wanted to enhance that this season, elevating it in a darker
way. That was the theme we wanted to
explore.
How
has Luther changed between Season 1 and Season 3? Do you think the Luther of Season 1 could
ever have handled an investigation like this?
ELBA: No.
Season 1 Luther was coming out of the end of a very weird, dark
time. It was stuff that we didn’t really
explore, but post-traumatic stuff happened.
He was willing to kill someone, practically, in the first season, in
order to get to the truth. By Season 3,
I think he’s stabilized himself somewhat, even though he’s gone through such
trauma. He’s managed to stabilize
himself, so that he doesn’t get to that place as quickly and as
recklessly. There’s been a massive
change for him. I wouldn’t say he’s
grown up, but he’s definitely started to grasp onto the idea that he just can’t
get away with the way he’s been living.
That’s a big, massive arc. In
Season 3, we see Luther smiling, not from irony, but from actual happiness, a
couple of times. In Season 1, a lot of
it was very dark.
With
such scary adversaries on this show, what is the best horror story you’ve heard
from fans about how the series has frightened them?
ELBA: I’ve heard a lot of people, this season,
didn’t go to bed until they looked underneath their bed. I heard a lot of people stayed in their
living rooms, and a couple huddled up on their sofa. True story!
I was like, “You’ve gotta be joking?!
There’s two of you. Why couldn’t
you go to sleep?” And they said, “We
just felt safer in the living room.”
That’s hilarious!
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ELBA: I think Luther’s attraction to Mary is based
on how completely different and untouched she is. She’s the furthest thing away from a murder
scene. She’s bizarrely isolated, in her own
world and bubble. Luther is so attracted
to that, that it’s like a grizzly bear being fascinated by a goldfish. When you’re going to discover whether Luther
is a bad guy or not by investigating him, we certainly wanted to parallel that
with him having some real feelings for someone, for a change, and going for
that. With Neil [Cross] being such a
creative writer, he managed to sew the two storylines in a way where it was one
or the other for Luther, eventually.
But, I definitely feel that Luther wanted to fall in love with someone
who took him away from what he does for a living and who he has been for
awhile.
With
Alice (Ruth Wilson) back this season, can you talk about the bond that she and
Luther share, and why it’s so strong?
ELBA: It’s just the history of who they both are
and the journey that they’ve both taken, along the seasons of the show. Alice and Luther share an intellect that they
both thrive on. Because of the
cat-and-mouse game between the two of them, they end up being attracted to each
other. They’re opposites, but they end
up being attracted to each other because ultimately they each own a big secret
about each other. For us, it just became
a tantalizing way to explore a relationship that’s non-sexual, but has a sexual
undertone to it, and it’s dangerous because we know the parameters for each
character. I think that’s why we enjoy
it. It’s something that we can explore
on TV, as slowly as we’d like or as accelerated as we’d like.
Do
you think Alice is correct in saying that happiness is what Luther thinks he
wants, but that it’s not really what he wants?
ELBA: Yeah.
I definitely think that she has a real understanding of what Luther
aspires for. I don’t think Luther
personally wants happiness, but some sort of satisfaction.
What
do you think it is about Luther that makes everyone want to come after him and
cause him to lose that are close to him?
And did he see that pattern, before he was investigated this season?
ELBA: Luther is just a target. He’s a big target. He’s someone to blame. He’s a big, burly man who’s not afraid to
have an opinion, and go in and solve cases in 10 minutes. With that comes a responsibility. If you drive a motorcycle without a helmet,
the likelihood is that you’re going to get flies stuck to your face. I think that’s part of what happens with
Luther, in the way he goes about his work.
Going into Season 3, that was the idea.
Although Luther has made this attempt to clean up his act, he wasn’t
surprised that someone was sniffing about.
That was very exciting for me to read, when Neil was writing that. That was really thrilling for us to explore.
Luther
has a very specific walk that’s different from the walk of any other character
you play. Is that on purpose, and does
that say something about him?
ELBA: I want to be honest with you and tell you the
truth, but I suspect it might be disappointing for you. Honestly, over the last three years, I’ve
been dealing with a really bad injury on my ankle and I’m not sure if it’s
getting better. I end up having to
choose the shoes that I use for Luther very carefully. Season 1, there was a certain pair of shoes
that were too tight and that hurt me when I walked a certain way. And then, this season, I changed it up. It’s a lot more technical than you’d think. It’s a great compliment. I’ve heard that Luther has a crazy walk, and
that’s great, but it’s not intentional.
This
season really ends with a sense of closure, much more so than the endings of
Season 1 or Season 2. Did you feel that,
at the end of these episodes, or did the whole idea for a prequel movie come
about because you just really couldn’t feel like you could let this character
go?
ELBA: Honestly, I think it’s part of the Bible of
what Neil wanted for this character. It
sees its roots in a book, and the TV show being what it is, I think we’ve
always wanted to take it to a filmic character.
This season wasn’t really designed to be closure. There’s massive symbols. Me taking off my coat and [a major character
death] point towards the end, but I don’t think we did that intentionally to
say, “We’re at the end of this. We’re
not going to do anymore.” However, the
time is really right for Luther to turn into a film, considering that we’ve had
a really interesting continuing following on the show. Our intention was always to take it to a
film, which is where we can really explore what makes this man tick and really
understand Luther, or go on more and more weird and experimental journeys with
him, by uses the film medium.
Are
you excited about the possibility of exploring his life before viewers got to
meet him in Season 1?
ELBA: Yeah.
I think the origin story is a classic superhero type set-up, and I’ve
always likened Luther to a superhero. As
television makers, we bend the rules so much, so I’d be interested to
understand where that came from and how we ended up in that first episode of
Season 1. That would be great. That would be really exciting. But then, beyond that, I’d like to pick up
after Season 3 and figure out what happens next.
What
are the advantages of doing Luther in limited-run installments?
ELBA: One advantage is that I’m less depressed for
most of the year, and that’s good. I
like not being that depressed. It’s
quite a dark show, and I take my work home with me a little bit. And number two, what we have done and taken
advantage of is to study the trends of our audience. Season 1 told us that they were up for a ride
with six episodes and with this weird character. That gave us a foundation to then design
Season 2 and, ultimately, Season 3, knowing that the audience actually don’t
need six episodes or 12 episodes.
They’re happy to go on this really crazy ride in these short bursts. Especially with the gap between Season 2 and
Season 3 being so far, we really understood the way that new audiences were
coming to Luther was in box sets. They
were soaking up these episodes and were prepared to wait for the next. The advantage, for me as an actor, is
understanding what we should do next is give some space and build an arc, over
time. It’s rare, definitely, for
characters to be built that way on television, but it represents the new trend
of how audiences are absorbing TV.
Aside
from a possible movie, what are the chances of their being future seasons of
Luther?
ELBA: Both Neil and I would consider it, if you
could get David Bowie to come and score the next season. If you could do that, I think Neil would be
writing, straight away. Now that’s a
task!
It’s
a big year for you, with Pacific Rim, Long Walk to Freedom, Thor 2 and
Luther. How did you balance all of that,
and did any of those characters bite into you as much as John Luther?
ELBA: It’s all out of sequence, by the time it
comes out. This year looks incredibly
busy for me because they’re all coming out, at the same time. Really, the balance is being able to not
over-saturate myself, in terms of all these films and stuff coming out at the
same time. I’m also continuing my career
with stuff that may end up coming out later.
Mandela was definitely a very, very challenging role for me, in the way
that Luther is. It’s very
absorbing. Doing Mandela about a year
ago now, and then doing Luther, they’re both very complex characters that are
demanding of my time. But, this is what
I do for a living. I enjoy the process
of jumping from one person to another.
Do
you take on roles in films like Thor and Pacific Rim because they’re these big,
fun movies and you want to balance out the darkness of Luther?
ELBA: Honestly, I like to look at that genre of
film and be in those films because my daughter, who’s 11, loves that type of
film. Stacker Pentecost (in Pacific Rim)
wasn’t particularly fun, but that type of film is fun. Even Thor is not so much fun to actually
make. But, they’re very different,
compared to Luther or Mandela, which are quite serious bits of work. I like having all of that on my resume.
Has
your 11-year-old daughter actually seen Luther?
ELBA: Believe it or not, she actually snuck away
and watched the first two seasons. She
said, “I love it, dad!,” and I said, “You’re not supposed to be watching
it!” But, she’s a big fan of it. She hasn’t seen the third season yet.
Did
you get to meet Nelson Mandela before portraying him in Long Walk to Freedom?
ELBA: I didn’t meet Mr. Mandela, no. He was very ill. He wasn’t hands on, on the project. His foundation was very much connected, but I
wasn’t speaking to him, personally.
Since
you didn’t meet Mandela, how did you prepare to play such an iconic person?
ELBA: The preparation varied, during the
stages. I knew about Mandela while I was
working on another film, so the first preparation for me was really about just
reading and watching a lot of films and documentaries on the man, and that time
in history in South Africa. And then, as
I got closer to production, I was in South Africa about six weeks prior to
shooting anything, just to understand the culture and understand the logistics
of where we were and what was happening, at the time. I visited a lot of places and people, and had
conferences with people. I tended not to
meet people that knew him too personally, just because I wanted to stay away
from too many anecdotes that could color my performance. But, everybody has a Mandela story in South
Africa, that’s for sure. I was inundated
with a wealth of information, and that was my preparation. And there was some physical stuff and some
make-up stuff that we had to do. I had
to understand and absorb, before I started playing him.
How
does your experience on The Wire fit into the arc of your career and your
growth, as an actor?
ELBA: The Wire was my opening for my career in
America, so it’s very significant to my career.
It completely put me on the map.
It was some of my best work. As a
young actor, doing that show for three years, I really got to build a character
slowly and hone it. So, it was very
significant for my career, working on The Wire.
Would
you ever be interested in doing an American TV series again, or are films your
priority now?
ELBA: Yes, I would be interested in working on
American TV. Television, for me, is a
medium that I’m probably always going to be attached to, one way or
another. My film career has been very
kind to me, and I’m building in that world, but honestly, so far, my biggest
challenges have been in television. I
definitely would like to see myself back on a great American TV show again.
If
you were offered two things at the same time, like the chance to take on
something as iconic as James Bond or the Doctor (from Doctor Who), or to do
Luther or another role that you helped create yourself, which is the more exciting
and fulfilling for you?
ELBA: I would definitely choose Luther, or a role
that I helped create. There’s a lot more
longevity in that, for me, and creative input.
I think I’m really excited to get into the next stage of me, as an
actor. Writing, directing and creating a
character that I will play is the way forward for me. So, I think I would definitely choose a role
that I could create.
There
have been rumblings that you should take over as James Bond, when Daniel Craig
quits. Would you be interested in that,
and do you think you have what it takes to be 007?
ELBA: Honestly, it’s a rumor that’s decided to eat
itself. It’s a very kind rumor because
it’s an iconic role. I guess you have to
have certain attributes to play Bond. Do
I have the attributes? I don’t
know. Considering that my favorite Bonds
are Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, I don’t compare myself to them very
much. It would be an honor, of course,
to play the part, but it is a massive rumor.
You’re
certainly at a point where you could become a major star in the Hollywood
system. Is that important to you, or do
you just care about the type of work you’re getting?
ELBA: I think what’s more important is the kind of
work I’ve been getting. Most actors want
to get that Hollywood status and be up there with the greats in the premiere
league of acting, so to speak. But from
my perspective, it’s the work and it’s the jobs. I turned down a couple of films that would have
taken me towards Hollywood to do Luther.
Luther, which was a lateral step, ultimately ended up taking me further
towards Hollywood. I really just chose a
character that I could sink my teeth into, and that would be very different
from everything else I’d done before.
So, as much as it’s nice to step into that massive world of Hollywood
and be a big, famous actor, I prefer the career of actors that have really
chosen smartly and done really amazing performances. Maybe they’re not as known, but their careers
are a bit more interesting.
Are
you at a place to have the ability or power to get the projects that you
want?
ELBA: No, I’m not.
It’s a treadmill. I’m not at a
place where I can just greenlight stuff.
But, I’m at a place with my confidence where I know what I would like to
see made and say, “You know what? I
think I’m gonna go for this.” Most
actors go for it, whether they want to direct or they want to start buying the
rights to stuff, and I think I’m certainly in that lane, at the moment. I think the future is a combination of me
doing films that I’ve created and nurtured, and then other stuff, as well.
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