Idris Elba Talks Dealing Weed To Dave Chappelle & His Role On ‘The Wire’

It’s always refreshing to hear the story of famed actors before they hit the big screen, helping us understand they’re no less human than us normies. 

A recent report from Entertainment Weekly touched on the story of producer, actor, and musician Idris Elba, who opened up about his attempts to make ends meet during his appearance on The Jess Cagle Show. 

Elba described a moment in time when he wasn’t famous, quite the opposite, where his acting career “fell flat on its face very quickly for about four years.” 

“I did a lot of things, some things I’m not proud of,” he confessed. As Cagle continued hassling the Golden Globe Award-winning actor about what he was up to back in the day, Elba admitted, “I used to sell weed. Can I say that on the show?”

When given the green light to explain his weed-dealing ventures, Elba said, “I did that for a little bit just to, you know, help pay the way. I DJ’ed quite a bit. I was a doorman. I was a doorman at Carolines comedy club, which is fascinating now; when I meet the comedians that you kind of remember the English guy. Tall English guy with the funny accent and the little hair.”

Idris Elba selling pot is one thing, but selling pot to notable comedians is another. “David Chappelle remembers me ’cause he used to buy weed from me.”

Perhaps Elba’s weed-dealing days were foreshadowing his successful role on HBO’s ‘The Wire.’ 

“At the time, The Wire was sort of like a distant cousin to The Sopranos…Season 1 was sort of like a sleeper hit. People were like, ‘Have you seen this show? It’s kind of interesting.’ Especially in the African American community,” he explains. 

“By season three, it was up there with The Sopranos as a show that everyone was watching. But for the rest of the world, it didn’t happen for another seven to eight years.”