“I’ve been a fan of Idris since I was 14,” says Elba. “He’s an actor that’s on the cusp of super-stardom.” The two actors have worked together previously on projects like The Office and American Gangster, but this is the first time they’ve had the chance to share a script together.

“I don’t think you could ask for better people than the cast of this film”, says Elba. “It was so cool to know that I was working with such talented people.”

The film is based on the popular comic book series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. It follows John Slattery as he becomes entangled in a scandal involving a disgraced agent played by Elba.

“I remember when I read the script and got to that point where it said ‘Elba shows up’. Then it just went crazy,” says Elba. “The whole thing just snowballed from there.”

Elba has been busy since wrapping filming on Thor: Ragnarok. He’s currently filming multiple new projects including Molly’s Game and The Mountain Between Us, which also stars Kate Winslet.

The British actor, who is married to model Dormowa Sherman and has a two-year-old son, said: “I want to be able to make a difference.

“I’m an actor, I do movies and tell stories, but there’s got to be a bit more.

“I’ve been blessed with success in my career and I want to give back.”

Ahead of the ceremony on Wednesday night at London’s O2 Arena, Elba posted on Twitter: “It’s official! I am receiving The Global Gift Philanthropist Award from the lovely Eva Longoria.

“The ceremony will be held at the London 02 tomorrow evening. Let’s go!”

1. Idris Elba, The Wire

The only thing that could possibly make The Wire more perfect is if it had more Idris Elba (and, to a lesser extent, more Michael K. Williams). Luckily, an alternate version of The Wire exists in which every character is played by Elba and also everyone is a drug lord or a cop or both. Imagine Snoop as McNulty, Brother Mouzone as Bunk, and—I don’t know—Avon Barksdale as Jimmy McNulty, and you would be all set.

2. Andre Braugher, Homicide: Life on the Street

If you have not seen Homicide: Life on the Street and you have any interest in crime dramas, why are you still reading this? You should be watching Homicide right now. And if you have already seen it, you probably wish there were more characters like Frank Pembleton (Braugher), the show’s most memorable character. If only they had cast Idris Elba as Frank Pembleton!

3. Claire Danes, My So-Called Life

Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano were perfect together, but imagine how much better it would have been if Angela had been played by Id

If there’s a common thread that links Idris Elba’s work, it might be in how he chooses it. He is a man of many talents and many passions, but if he has one thing in common with the characters he plays, it’s that they don’t let anyone or anything stand in their way.

Elba was born and raised in London, one of two sons to African immigrants from Ghana and Sierra Leone. He was kicked out of school at the age of 16 for fighting, but credits his mother for helping him turn things around with what she called “the big D” — discipline.

After graduating from the National Youth Music Theatre, Elba went on to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he first started to get small roles in British sitcoms and dramas. He got his big break in The Wire when he was cast as Stringer Bell, though some of his biggest roles have come since then: Shere Khan in The Jungle Book; DCI John Luther on the BBC series Luther; Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Bryan Cranston: “I don’t want to say it was a disappointment. It was everything I thought it would be and more, and then some. I said to Idris Elba, ‘Can I just have a moment with this?’ I had the opportunity to not only spend time in prison but also meet some of the inmates that were there. Some of them were lifers—they had been there for 40 years. This is their home. And they are such remarkably insightful people, who have made peace with what they’ve done and where they’re at.”

Michael K. Williams: “To see him walking around in a jumpsuit, it was so surreal because you think, ‘OK, there goes my man Stringer Bell,’ but here he was in an orange jumpsuit! He’s one of those actors that has a certain level of gravitas about him; he doesn’t have to do much for you to buy into his character. He’s one hell of an actor.”

Joe Morton: “I remember [Idris] saying to me that he wanted to work with me in the future on something really great. I said, ‘Let’s do August Wilson,’ and he said, ‘Yeah!’ So we’ll see if we can get that