Idris Elba admits directing his first movie was a "nerve-wrecking" experience.
The London-born actor has made his directorial debut with the new crime drama 'Yardie' and Idris has admitted that in spite of the success he's already enjoyed during his career, he's desperate to see his new movie succeed.
He shared: "'Yardie' is a small project. It's not designed to be a big money-making film.
"Of course, this is a business and I want to be proud of it. I think there's a misconception that the higher you get, the less the success matters. That's not true.
"Are you kidding me? I've directed this thing. I've conjured it and to watch it go out into the public domain is great. I mean, it's nerve-wrecking. But I can cover up my nerves by just ploughing on."
'Yardie' is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Victor Headley, which tells the story of a young Jamaican who is sent to London to facilitate a drug deal.
But Idris has been determined to avoid glamorizing violence in the new movie.
He told the Irish Times newspaper: "There's a lot of violent energy in the book that I was nervous about portraying on screen because of the type of violence it is.
"I had to ask, 'What am I saying about this? What am I saying about this culture?' The term 'yardie' is a derogatory term in the first place. So the energy I wanted was cultural energy. I wanted to feel like I've just gone to Jamaica. I wanted to I feel like I'm in the 80s."
