Here’s why it’s been so important Idris Elba wasn’t ‘sexualised’ in Luther

The rogue detective is back again for a dangerous mission (Picture: BBC)

Although he was known for her certified heartthrob presence on-screen, Idris Elba didn’t want his beloved Luther to be ‘sexualised’ by devoted fans.

The 50-year-old actor is back as the rogue detective alongside Andy Serkis (David Robey) and Cynthia Erivo (Odette Rain) in the film adaptation Luther: The Fallen Sun.

In the flick, Idris’ unpredictable character breaks free from jail to hunt down a serial killer terrorising London.

Despite the Beast actor being crowned The Sexiest Man Alive in 2018 Luther writer Neil Cross exclusively told Metro.co.uk why it was important for the cherished DCI to be ‘stripped of vanity.’

‘Idris and I spoke about that a lot [not sexualising Luther] in the early days,’ he said.

‘It was very very important to me because there is in the world at large no screen presence like Idris Elba, kind of like a once in a generation, once in a lifetime screen presence.’

Th movie is an ‘epic continuation’ of the TV series (Picture: BBC)

Neil also explained that he wanted viewers to focus on Luther’s ‘passion, intellect and drive’ instead of shining a spotlight on his physical appearance.

‘It was very important that we strip him of all vanity,’ he added.

‘I mean look at the car we gave him. The reason why I love that car so much isn’t because it’s a gag, not because it’s a reference to  Columbo… it’s a car driven by a man who doesn’t give a s**t how he’s perceived by the world.

‘Luther doesn’t care and it doesn’t occur to him that he should.’

Idris stars alongside Andy Serkis (L) and Cynthia Erivo (Picture: Getty Images )

At Wednesday’s red carpet premiere, we caught up with The Wire star to put an age-old question to bed.

While fans might have assumed that there was only one Luther coat stowed away, Idris assured us that there’s more than one… and so there’s no issue with it becoming smelly.

‘Nooo! You know what, it does get washed but there’s more than one in the wardrobe. So I dry clean one and then I wear the other one,’ he said.

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‘People always say to me, “Does that thing stink?” It doesn’t smell I promise,’ he enthused.

There you go!

Speaking about the Luther movie years after the series last aired on BBC One, Idris said last September that he and the other people who worked on the project are ‘really proud’ of the production.

Luther: The Fallen Sun is available in select cinemas and arrives on Netflix from March 10.

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‘Luther doesn’t care.’