Widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Wire has earned near-universal acclaim, but one of its biggest stars has never seen it. During a conversation with Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast, Idris Elba revealed that he’s never watched The Wire and has no plans to change that. Elba played Russell “Stringer” Bell, one of the show’s most popular characters.
“If I’m really honest, I didn’t watch The Wire,” Elba said. “I didn’t watch it. 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, so intense and so real, so important, even though we didn’t realize it. I didn’t realize 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.“
When Poehler tried to encourage Elba to give the show a watch, he refused. And it’s not because he doesn’t like watching himself onscreen, at least not entirely. “It’s more that I feel the presence of it all, my life since The Wire… In terms of its impact,” he explained. “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. I like being in it rather than watching it.“
Elba will soon be seen starring alongside John Cena in Heads of State. The action-comedy follows the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (Cena), who have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries’ “special relationship.” But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary—who proves more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces—they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. The show will debut on Prime Video on July 2, and you can check out a review from our own Tyler Nichols right here.
I feel like Elba has invited chaos by admitting this, you know the type: “Wait… you’ve never seen The Wire?! Dude, it’s literally the best show ever made. What’s wrong with you?!” I love the series, but I understand why it may not be for everyone.
