Idris Elba Admits He Struggled With Mandela's Accent in Long Walk To Freedom

Idris Elba may be winning acclaim for his performance as Nelson Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom but the British actor has admitted he struggled with perfecting the accent of the late South African president.

The Luther star plays Mandela in Justin Chadwick's biopic, based on the leader's own memoirs. The film has taken on more poignancy with Mandela's death at the age of 95 last week, with many raving about Elba's portrayal.

The Brit has admitted in a new interview though that one of the most challenging aspects of the role was perfecting Mandela's distinctive voice:

''I couldn't do it at the beginning and you know why? Because I couldn't understand what he's doing to make him talk like that – and it turns out it's his traditional language, Xhosa".

"When he spoke to people he took pauses, big pauses. Like that. To make sure they understood every word," he added to the Daily Telegraph.

Idris also had concerns about his appearance as he feared he looked nothing like Mandela but Chadwick was convinced his leading man was the right person for the job. ''My worry was I don't look like Mandela. Justin just said, 'Don't worry about it'. But I was saying, 'No one is going to believe me. I am too dark-skinned'. Justin was like, 'It's the presence we want.'''