Inside the Studio ｜ Idris Elba x Zainab Jiwa - Hijack Season 2

We got some tea. Do you like the Cat Mum mug? Oh, is that what that says? It says Cat Mum. Oh, yeah. That's my mug. Enjoy. This is your mug? Yeah. From home. Brought it just for you. Naive, naive, naive. Oh, it actually is. Have you got a cat? Yeah. His name's Banksy. Really? Yeah. I'm allergic to cats. Right then. We're going to use that. That's what he's done. Banksy, you know. Yeah, because he causes chaos at night. Chill in the day. No one knows who he is. I see what you're doing. Now, listen. You're on a train this season. Trains are my go-to. And they're going to have to cut this out because it's embarrassing. At my big age, I do not drive. Oh, wow. Before I even ask the question, can you please motivate me to learn how to drive? Do you know what? I'm skilled at Mario Kart. I reckon I can do it. Do you want me on the road? And you have driving games like Gran Turismo. Yeah, yeah. I'm very good at Gran Turismo. Anytime I do a Formula 1 simulation, winning. So then, learn to drive. So next time I see you, you must have taken a couple of lessons at least. If there was a train getting hijacked, what character are you bringing to help you out? I'm going to bring this character called Sit Your Ass Still because... I was like, who's that? I'm going to jump in front of a man and be like, listen, bro. I represent all these people. Bing! You're dead. You're not going to do that? I think you could do that. I could, but I don't want to. Protect your peace. I want the guy in the movies to do it. No problems, only peace, guys. Drama. You want to rob the train? Do it, bro. Are you someone that thrives in this, in pressure and chaos? Like, listen, diamonds are made under pressure. Are you someone that thrives in pressure and chaos? Or do you thrive in the peace? It depends, you know. I'm making a mess over here. I'm enjoying you there. It really does depend on the type of pressure. You know, if there was an earthquake here right now, I wouldn't panic. But when it's situations that are often affairs of the heart or psychological things that you're going through and you're dealing with it and you've got really no one to talk to, I don't panic, but that's the worst type of situation. Yeah, that's for everyone, isn't it? For everyone. And in filming something like this, I've acted a little bit. I say a little bit, I mean very much dabbled. Very little bit. I don't know how you guys do it. I'm going to be so honest. You can't say you guys because you're an actor. Hang on a minute. I don't know how we do it. Pass me those cards. I don't know how we do it. I don't know how we do it. How was the last week? Do you know what, sometimes when I do these interviews, I always think I could have answered that better if I was on your, you know? I shouldn't say that. People think it's easy, number one. There is a lot of waiting around, but even in that waiting around, it's still immense pressure. There's pressure working at the UN, having to deal with a war crisis, right? There's different types of pressure. When you consider that, you know, I'm sitting in my trailer thinking, how am I going to say my lines? I don't consider that pressure. It's a team effort. Every single person in the studio right now is connecting to this one moment, right? And they all need to do their jobs perfectly for this to actually happen. That is pressure. And especially with acting, right? Because everyone knows you're pretending. And it's about you having to, like, really be convincing. Yeah. I mean, I'm actually going to completely change the tangent because I will come back to this. You want to talk about you being an actor again, yeah? All the time. That's why I'm here. I'm pitching to you. I heard you say writing twice. Tell me more. I'm planting the seeds, you know? Gotta do what you gotta do. I gotta ask you, what is your go-to song on set and in life in general? Like, it needs to be pumped up. Go-to song? Yeah, what are you playing? For me, music takes on a really sort of, like, private thing. You know what I mean? Like, if I go into my trailer to play music, it means that they've said to me, listen, we're not going to see you for a couple of hours. And then I'll be like, alright, cool. Go in, sit down, drop a record. Usually, it would be classic bled. Stuff that reminds me of something else, like a vibe. New music, though. I like listening to new music when I'm, like, for example, prepping for a set. I'll listen to a whole bunch of new music. So, you DJ. You act. You're obviously doing amazing activities and stuff as well. What don't you do? What don't I do? Yeah, what don't you do? I feel like you do everything. Anything I put, you're like, yeah, done it. I'm up for trying anything. I think the worst thing you can do when you ask a young person what it is they want to be when they grow up. Because they have to choose one thing. I still don't know. Exactly. You know, you and I have these incredible computers, and the thing about computers, they can do everything. So, why not? Is there a hobby that you already have that you haven't really showcased? Like, do you knit or something? I feel like you're going to whip something up. I like, when I get a football out, I like doing kick-ups, and I like practicing tricks and stuff. I've been doing that since I was a kid. I had a BMX when I was a kid, and... Oh, my God. That is such talent. Can you still do that? I can pull a decent wheelie. Guys, Hijack 3? Yeah, but... Bike. Me with some pliers, taking a bike. Do you have a guilty pleasure TV show? I like Gogglebox. Oh, yeah. I feel like we should Gogglebox your show when it comes out. We should sit and watch it. No, I'm all right, you know. Do you not watch your own stuff? I try not to. Really? So, that might be a good episode of me going stupid. Oh, why do you say it like that? You don't watch your own stuff, really? No, I try to stay away from it. It feels like a weird mix between a memory, a dream, and déjà vu. That's crazy. I think you definitely should, then. No, thanks. I'm okay. Get her off that. When I watch TV, like, I'm always describing the lights, oh, boom shadow, oh... Crazy, right? Because 4K TV shows you way more than you need to see, and I always see it. How do you find peace in watching a show? They should have, like, a filmmaker's Gogglebox, where it's, like, an actor and a boom operator talking about a scene. While they're watching it. Watching it. Have you seen that cut? It's moved twice. That's good. That's what we should do for Hijack. We're like, guys... Let's do it. A technical Gogglebox. Do you love binging a show, or do you prefer weekly episodes? Love a binge, man. We're bingers. Love a binge. Last show I binged was the studio. On Apple TV? Yeah. Oh, did you look at that? Yeah, see what I did? It's probably one of my favourite shows to exist. Amazing. It's so good, and you get to see the technical aspects. Everything in one you wanted. The technical... Also, the personalities behind filmmaking and entertainment. Do you find that it was quite realistic? Very. I mean, it's obviously amplified, but it's very realistic. Especially the stuff, like, what happens on set, and all of that, you know, behind the scenes, and all the crew going, bro, can't park your car there. If Seth Rogen calls you up and he's like, we need you in the next season to play yourself, are you doing it? Hundred. Thank you. Guys, sort it out. Apple TV's here. Pitch it. Sort it out. You mentioned earlier your incredible work with the UN, government development. How do you balance that, you know, this activism with Hollywood? Does it give you more purpose? And also, how do you balance that? I know that when I'm on my film set, that's my life. That's my living. When I'm sort of using my voice as a cause for a cause, I know that is a moment that I'm snatching. I'm not expecting balance. I know that I'm committed to saying, I feel this way, I need people to pay attention to this. You have to know when you can be effective, and just be effective. Some people try and do both, and then they're an actor and they're in activism, and then they're not doing either really well. For me, I don't expect that balance. I know that I can go speak on behalf of people that are, you know, fighting climate change in Africa, farmers, and then be there, be effective. Have a target and go for it, and then go back to work. So give 100 to everything while you're there. Just do what you can, but do it at the full. Don't try and do it all, because you'll just feel, like, drained. If you had to buy a pick on your life, which I think needs to happen, who are you getting to play you? And it's not, it can't be you. Righted. I would prefer that they found someone that looks like me. I would prefer an unknown, so that you're not lost in watching the actor do an impersonation. Yeah. It's a morbid thing to think about. Sorry? No, I did. Are there any people that you kind of looked up to as pioneers throughout your acting career in general? And has that changed even now? Listen, you just mentioned Denzel was definitely someone that a lot of actors have seen as a sort of beacon of success, beacon of, like, you know, he's an incredible actor every time. Bob De Niro for a long time was one of mine. But, you know, I look to my peers, you know. I look at actors like Wendell Pierce, who's impeccable in everything he does. Michael B. Jordan, who's a phenomenal actor. When I was really younger, I idolised, you know, film greats like Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood. You know what I'm saying? These are idols. Will Smith. Do you yourself have any advice for anyone who wants to kind of do it all, as you've done? Again, you know, like, don't limit yourself. You've got to be okay with the fact that you're going to irritate people if you try different things. Some people get put off by the idea that they're not liked because they tried something. So they won't try it. I'm not like that. I'm just like, oh, I want to give it a shot. But I will say this, you know, everything you try and do, you don't have to make money for. Don't just monetise everything. Yeah, you don't need to be like, oh, by the way, I'm this and that. Just do it. And if it gets a bit of shine, great. But if it don't, you know, like me and my thousand kick-ups. No, I'm joking. You've already put it out there. I've put it out there now. Now every time I go somewhere, they'll be like, go on then. If they do, I'll just trap it, flick it over, knee, volley. No, we're not doing that. That's our next one, actually. That's our next set. You've already got me nicking bikes, yeah? You've got me on a space station. I told you, what can't you do? You've got my eyes watering from the cat. You're like, this is the worst day ever. You're in my trailer listening to my tunes. Come on, man, don't throw a football at me. Listen, you were saying basically, ruffle these feathers, create drama, but don't worry about it. Just do it. Just do it, and be good at it, if you're going to do it. If you're going to do it, be good at it. I was inspired by what you said earlier about that, you know, you taught yourself how to edit, taught yourself how to edit sound. That's inspirational, because to teach yourself to do that is, you know... I think I'm the type of person that has to know everything. I need to know how it's working. I can't just give it to someone. I can later, but I need to know what's going on. Right, right, right. So that I know how it all comes together. Do you need to be on Technical Gogglebox? Guys, this is happening. We're going to make this happen. For filmmakers and content creators, watch this edit, and let's talk about it. What's he used there? Oh, he's used the old F2 filter on that one. Wait, that sounds horrible. I'm not selling it yet. I'm sorry, we don't want anyone else to watch it apart from us. It got worse. It was a good idea, but it just got worse. Has he used a door creak sound effect in that transition? He's kept looping that. It's not working. No, I would watch that, because I am that guy. I would too. That's like ASMR for... Full circle moment. There's more biscuits as well. I'm going to have a bourbon as well. We love a bourbon. Bourbons. I hope you enjoy the Catman mug. Don't bring it up again. I'm going to keep... Until you're not allergic. My eyes are streaming. Have you got a few more on today? I have until about three o'clock. If they're as good as hanging with you, I'm laughing. Why didn't you say that while we were recording? I'm joking.