Idris Elba Believed He Had Really Been Shot While Filming His ‘American Gangster’ Character’s Death Scene

Idris Elba Believed He Had Really Been Shot While Filming His ‘American Gangster’ Character’s Death Scene

A humorous revelation about Idris Elba has just come to light!

Idris Elba fans will recall that the English heartthrob starred in American Gangster back in 2007. In the film, which is fictionally based on the story of ex-drug trafficker Frank Lucas, Idris Elba specifically played the role of Tango–who was shot in the head at one point in the movie.

Now, 14 years after the film debuted, director Ridley Scott is dishing on the aforementioned scene–and he had quite a revelation about how Idris Elba reacted to it! Ridley Scott, 83, revealed that the gun in question had a filled-in barrel that didn’t allow for bullets or blanks to be used. While the gun was essentially useless with a solid barrel, Idris Elba, 49, allegedly still thought he had been shot for real during filming!

Apparently, Ridley Scott instructed Idris Elba to “lean on the gun” with his head so that he would be shocked by the firearm recoiling–even though nothing would come out–for realistic effect. The director stated:

“What happened was, I said to Idris ‘Listen, when he puts the gun to your head lean on the gun’–because by the way this is a gun with a solid barrel, there is no aperture. I would never risk it–but when you pull the trigger there’s a recoil, there’s no blank, nothing.”

He continued:

“He pulled the trigger and it goes ‘Bang!’ Idris thought he’d been shot and dropped to the sidewalk and said ‘I’ve been shot!'”

Idris Elba

Idris Elba has not publicly acknowledged the revelation. Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that this matter comes to light about a month after Alec Baldwin accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rush, which the actor was producing. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident, which occurred due to the 63-year-old actor discharging a “prop” gun.

What do you think about the revelation? Share your thoughts down below to let us know!

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