Idris Elba is a Renaissance man, a ripped, shredded Renaissance man. He’s an actor—starring in projects like The Wire, Beasts of No Nation, Luther, Pacific Rim, and maybe James Bond one day—DJ, musician, rally-car enthusiast, fashion designer, and—oh yeah—a kickboxer too.
Related: Idris Elba Proves You Can Be Busy and Still Make Time for Your Workouts
Elba’s played some fantastically badass characters over the years—Stringer Bell in The Wire, John Luther on Luther, and Stacker Pentecost in Pacific Rim—but his most badass role might be the one he plays every day: himself. In 2016 the actor started filmingIdris Elba: Fighter, a documentary series that followed Elba as he trained and became a professional kickboxer. (The show aired on Discovery Channel earlier in 2017.)
The sport has been part of Elba’s training routine for years, but as he once told Men’s Fitness, most film producers think kickboxing is “too dangerous” for him to do while on a job. So instead, he made it one of his actual jobs—and the results were pretty great.
Elba won his first pro fight and got in some strong shots on his opponent:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMIKfd7hjMa/
Elba is as fit as they come in Hollywood, and he's also one of the most stylish, badass, savvy dudes working as an actor today. All of that is part of the reason why Elba was named People's Sexiest Man Alive.
Here are some of Elba's most badass, stylish moments on Instagram.
Elba gets ready for a DJ set at Tomorrowland 2018:
8. Elba decked out in his John Luther uniform:
7. Elba taking a ride in a Formula E car:
6. Elba getting in one of his DJ sets:
5. Elba working his DJ gear during a set: