HBO’s breakthrough series The Wire celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the creator, David Simon, revealed some memorable moments.
Specifically, Simon recalled how Idris Elba was unhappy about being written off the show. The Baltimore-based show ran for five seasons, making its debut in 2002. Idris played Stringer Bell, a drug lord and second-in-command to Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris).
Stringer ended up controlling the Barksdale Organization in the third season but was murdered towards the end of the season.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Simon revealed that Elba was written off “when people were really starting to discover what a leading man he was. When he read the script … he was like, ‘Man, I can’t believe I’m leaving the show.’ Like, he was not happy.”
He continued, “And I remember talking with him over the script and saying, ‘Idris, you’re going to have movie roles. You’re going to be an A-lister. People are going to get a load of this death; they’re going to acquire this story arc in retrospect — this is your calling card, man.”
He recalled adding, “‘You’re going to do fine.'”
On the 20th anniversary of #TheWire, @WendellPierce and creator David Simon (@AoDespair) look back on the show pic.twitter.com/yXh6VpUgvQ
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) June 30, 2022
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Simon also said there were not enough roles for Black actors and actresses in Hollywood during this time.
“There just wasn’t enough content being generated. That’s been ameliorated somewhat by the changes in the industry and also by the weight of content, by how much we’re doing,” Simon said.
Idris also became a household name specifically for his role as John Luther in the BBC TV television show Luther.
He is a four-time nominee for a Golden Globe Award, winning one, and has been nominated six times for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Check out some of Elba’s best lines as Stringer Bell below:
