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NOVEMBER 2014
JB Hi-Fi
www.jbhifi.co.nzEXTRAS
visit
www.stack.net.nzThroughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, the statuesque
presence of Geena Davis was a regular fixture on
cinema screens in popular films like
Beetlejuice
,
The Fly
,
The Accidental Tourist
,
Thelma & Louise
,
and
The Long Kiss Goodnight
. However, following
a couple of flops (
Speechless
and
Cutthroat Island
),
we saw less and less of the cherubic-faced star
outside of a couple of
Stuart Little
films. Geena’s
disappearance from the big screen in the ‘00s
was largely a consequence of the demands of
motherhood, and competing for a semi-final berth
with the 2000 Summer Olympics US archery team.
She had also done what a lot of stars of her era do
these days – find a comfortable niche on the small
screen. While her self-titled sitcom
The Geena
Davis Show
(2000) didn’t make it to the end of its
first season before the axe fell, her subsequent
TV venture
Commander in Chief
(2005) was more
successful. Not only did she win a Golden Globe
for playing the first female US president, she also
co-executive produced the series. Since then she’s
travelled Down Under to star in the dysfunctional
family dramedy
Accidents Happen
, and appeared in
the mini-series remake of
Coma
.
With a career spanning film, television, theatre and music,
London-born Idrissa Akura Elba is red hot right now. His
considerable screen presence makes him the perfect fit
for roles requiring an authoritative air, or cool characters
upon whom the survival of humanity depends. He’s also
played a ruthless drug lord and a homicide detective in
two of his signature roles for TV. And he’s a hip-hop artist
and DJ, the latter under the name Big Drills.
During his youth, Idris assisted with his uncle’s DJ
business before scoring a grant allowing him to attend
the National Youth Music Theatre. Encouraged by his high
school drama teacher to pursue acting, he auditioned for
a number of roles in television in between working odd
jobs and nightclub gigs as a DJ. Throughout the nineties
he found regular work in TV series like the
Ruth Rendell
Mysteries
(1996),
Insiders
(1997) and
Ultraviolet
(1998).
Idris’s big break came when he landed the role of
Baltimore drug lord Stringer Bell in HBO’s acclaimed
drama series
TheWire
– a part that has since required him
to adopt an American accent when meeting fans of the
show. “I almost feel guilty turning around and saying, ‘Ello
mate. My name’s Idris and I’m from London’. I don’t want
to break the illusion,” he says.
The runaway success of
TheWire
has led to bigger
things for the actor, and Idris is now one of those faces
that appears to be in everything – his name even came up
as a possible contender for the new Doctor Who this year!
Filmgoers will know him best as Janek, Captain of the
Prometheus
; Heimdall, the imposing guardian of Asgard
in
Thor
and
Thor: The Dark World
; and Stacker Pentecost,
who rallies humanity against monsters in
Pacific Rim
with a rousing call to arms: “Today we are cancelling the
apocalypse!” Idris has also portrayed the late Nelson
Mandela in the biopic
Mandela: LongWalk to Freedom
–
surely his most challenging role to date. Moreover, he still
maintains a high profile on television as the eponymous
detective in the British crime drama
Luther,
for which he
won a Golden Globe in 2012. Fans of the series, note that
a feature is currently in the works!
He always turns up to explain what’s going
on in a movie.
He’s played God (
Bruce Almighty
), the
US president (
Deep Impact
), and Nelson
Mandela (
Invictus
).
He drove Miss Daisy.
He’s Lucius Fox in the Dark Knight trilogy.
He’s Red in
The Shawshank Redemption
.
He’s Detective Somerset in
Se7en
.
He’s a perennial narrator.
He starred in
Dreamcatcher
and kept his
reputation intact.
He loves to work and currently has 106
credits as an actor, according to IMDb.
He’s the go-to guy when Samuel L. Jackson
is unavailable.
How can you not love that mellow,
authoritative voice?
We love him because...
STACK
SALUTES
Morgan on DVD:
Unforgiven
(1992)
The Shawshank Redemption
(1994)
Batman Begins
(2005)
Wanted
(2008)
The Lego Movie
(2014)
DID YOU KNOW?
When the topic of Liam Gallagher was raised with Idris Elba in an interview with
GQ
in the US, the actor responded with “F*ck that idiot”.
The Wire
(2002-2004)
Luther
(2010-2013)
Prometheus
(2012)
Pacific Rim
(2013)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
(2013)
MORGAN
FREEMAN
Geena Davis
IDRIS
ELBA