Idris Elba reveals he needs therapy to cope with his dark 'Luther' role

Idris Elba has revealed that he needs therapy to help him cope with his “dark” role in the BBC One cop drama Luther.

Speaking to Mirror.co.uk, the actor said that he always needs a “nice break” to “reset” after immersing himself in the role of DCI John Luther.

“I always find myself needing therapy both before and after I play him. Afterwards, I need a nice break, I get to reset,” he said.

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“It’s often when I make really good music or DJ great sets, because I’ve been in such a dark place for a long time that it’s nice to get out.”

Elba went on to say that he’s been “addicted” to the lifestyle of the character. And in 2015, he said how views the show as a form of therapy because he gets to scream and shout, seeing it as a way of stabilising his mental health.

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“I’ve been addicted to the lifestyle and expressive nature of Luther for a while,” he said.

“I use Luther as a therapy session because there’s a lot of screaming and shouting. ‘That was good acting’, people will say, but I wasn’t acting, I was really angry.”

“I think we should be changing format now. The last few seasons have been more like mini-movies.”

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Speaking in the US to promote the fifth series of Luther, which is set to air on BBC American, Elba also expressed that he thinks the show should now be trying something different.

“I think we should be changing format now. The last few seasons have been more like mini-movies,” he said.