In a new interview, the 'Luther' leading man reveals that his 20-year-old daughter did not 'have the right chemistry' to land a role in the Will Packer production.
- Aug 17, 2022
AceShowbiz - Idris Elba has sparked debate after his daughter auditioned for a role in his new movie "Beast". The actor-and-producer's decision to invite Isan Elba for movie casting has received mixed reactions.
In a new interview with "The Breakfast Club" radio show, the 49-year-old actor revealed that his daughter Isan auditioned for a role in his upcoming film. "Interestingly enough my daughter auditioned for this role. She wants to be an actress and she auditioned," he shared. "It came down to chemistry in the end. She was great but the relationship in the film and the relationship with my daughter, the chemistry wasn't right or a film, weirdly enough."
Idris further revealed that despite his 20-year-old daughter showing up at his side on the red carpet during the movie's August 8 premiere, it took her a while to accept the news. "My daughter didn't talk to me for three weeks," the "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" star said, to which host DJ Envy replied, "Yea, I'd be kind of upset too."
While Isan may have blamed her father for not landing the role, it was producer Will Packer who ultimately made the call. "I talked to her, 'cause I've known her for a very long time, you know what I mean," the 48-year-old producer, who joined Idris in the interview, explained. "I'm like 'Uncle Will.' That's like, my little niece, you know, and she's amazing."
Will went on to praise Idris for the way he handled the delicate situation and his refusal to play favorites while going through the audition process. "I'll give props to Idris because you talk about nepotism, two dads that are really hard on their kids and want the best for them? Idris Elba and Ice Cube," the Florida native said of the "Thor" actor.
"Idris was definitely, like, 'Listen, I want her to go in and go through the ropes, give her a shot, audition.' He was very tough on her, he auditioned with her," Will recalled. "And [Idris] was like, 'At the end of the day we're going to make the best decision for the movie.' "
Will added that "sometimes the nuance of the real-life relationship just doesn't translate on screen," but that the aspiring actress was "great" and fans would be seeing her on the big screen "sometime soon."
Fans then hopped on Reddit to share their thoughts on whether Idris was wrong to not use his impact to help his daughter land the role. "Nepotism is how lots of people got their positions in the business world," wrote one user, "I don't think there is anything wrong with helping a family member get a position."
Another person questioned Idris' decision as writing, "I think 90 percent of people have abused nepotism in their life, so in my opinion it's more weird to not go out your way to help your daughter succeed is worse parenting. Hot take, but almost every family will inevitably look out for each other."
