Idris Elba Says He Used To Sell Weed To Dave Chappelle In Order To Support His Acting Dream: I Did A Lot Of Things That I’m Not Proud Of

April 14, 2022 by S. G. in Film with 0 Comments

Idris Elba, Dave Chappelle

Idris Elba Says He Used To Sell Weed To Dave Chappelle In Order To Support His Acting Dream: I Did A Lot Of Things That I’m Not Proud Of

Idris Elba might be more like his “American Gangster” character than you think!

Idris Elba, 49, has always been candid about selling drugs in his early days so he could afford to fund his acting career. During a recent interview, he opened up more about his past life activities and revealed that his weed-selling client list included well-known comedian Dave Chappelle, 48. He said,

“I went to a performing arts college and did two years of everything –– scene painting, a little ballet, a little contemporary dance. I came out and basically went straight into work.”

He continued and shared that when he moved to America to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, things didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped.

“It just all fell flat on its face very quickly for about four years.”

He then shared how he sold weed to celebrities like Dave Chappelle to help make ends meet.

“In that time period, I did a lot of things that I’m not proud of. But I did a lot of the things. I used to sell weed. It wasn’t [legal] back then. I did that for a little bit just to pay the way. Dave Chappelle remembers me ’cause he used to buy weed from me. Anyway, moving on. But yeah, I did all kinds of things, to be honest.”

This isn’t the first time Idris Elba has opened up about selling drugs. He shared back in 2013 that when he previously worked as a DJ and doorman (before his acting career took off) he also sold weed on the side. He said,

“I was running with cats. I mean, I was DJ’ing, but I was also pushing bags of weed; I was doing my work. I had to. I know that sounds corny, but this is the truth.”

One thing for certain: Idris Elba is a Jack of all trades. As previously reported, after starring as a DJ in Netflix’s “Turn Up Charlie,” performing at Coachella in 2019, and serving as the DJ for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding reception, the British actor plans to put his acting career on hold to pursue a career in music.