Idris Elba no longer watches films in which children cry as he ends up bawling too.
The 44-year-old actor may play hard men on screen, from the title detective in TV series Luther to comic book hero Heimdall in the Thor movies, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to shedding a tear.
“I can’t watch films with kids crying anymore,” he admitted to Candis magazine. “I’m the worst, because I cry too. I even cried in Home Alone, you know what I’m saying? Having kids of your own makes you more sensitive, that’s for sure.”
Idris is a father to daughter Isan, born 2002, from his first marriage to make-up artist Hanne Norgaard and three-year-old son Winston, with girlfriend Naiyana Garth. The handsome star admits there’s been plenty of challenges when it comes to raising his children, especially as he and his first wife split not long after his daughter arrived, meaning they’ve never lived together as a family unit.
“She and I have an amazing relationship considering that I don’t see her as much as I would like to, but what I have learned is that when I do get time with her, it must be all about her – that’s very important, especially now she’s in her teenager years, which are a delicate time,” he acknowledged.
Luckily Isan understands her dad’s work commitments and even joins him when she can, recently gracing the red carpet with him as he promoted his new movie The Dark Tower.
Idris is proud to see her act so grown up and is happy to help support her in any way he can.
“She even wants to be an actress herself, so she knows what’s involved,” he added. “So it’s important to make the times we do have special though it isn’t as often as we’d like.”
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