Star of the Marvel Comics film "Thor", Idris Elba was the guest speaker for Lens Project’s “Artist Spotlight” at the Paul Robeson Center of Rutgers University’s Newark campus.
The gathering was much in the same vain as "Inside The Actors Studio, where Elba answered questions about his career including his thoughts on the Oscars to the death of his character Stringer Bell on "The Wire", (“I was a huge fan of Stringer Bell being killed off right at the height of his popularity. I commend the writers for a realistic view of living a life of crime…as a drug dealer you either end up dead or in prison.”)
When a question about Spike Lee vs. Tyler Perry arose, the start of BBC's Luther spoke from the heart:
"Can I be candid?” he asks before turning to face the audience directly. “I don’t like all of Tyler Perry’s films. Yes, I did work with Tyler for “Daddy’s Little Girls” because it portrayed a positive image of a black father. I am happy for Tyler’s success…we need Tyler Perry…by going to support his movies, we need to show economic strength. But we are also responsible for elevating film. I’m not with buffoonish characters like Madea or Big Momma.”
"Can I be candid?” he asks before turning to face the audience directly. “I don’t like all of Tyler Perry’s films. Yes, I did work with Tyler for “Daddy’s Little Girls” because it portrayed a positive image of a black father. I am happy for Tyler’s success…we need Tyler Perry…by going to support his movies, we need to show economic strength. But we are also responsible for elevating film. I’m not with buffoonish characters like Madea or Big Momma.”
Does Elba make a point? Tell us your thoughts.
