Idris Elba has admitted that he started seeing a therapist a year ago because he is an ‘absolute workaholic’.
The British actor, 51, revealed that while he doesn’t want to reduce his workload, he recognizes “unhealthy habits” that he would like to change.
The Luther sensation even explained that he finds working on a grueling film set for ten days straight “more relaxing” than sitting on the couch with his family.
The problem is made worse, he believes, because he is “hugely rewarded” by his industry for being a workaholic.
Speaking about the Podcast changes, Idris, who is also an award-winning film director, rapper, DJ, producer and entrepreneur, said: “I have been in therapy for about a year now. It is much.
Candid: Idris Elba admitted he started seeing a therapist a year ago because he’s an ‘absolute workaholic’ – (pictured with wife Sabrina in March)
Successful: The British actor, 51, revealed that while he doesn’t want to reduce his workload, he recognizes ‘unhealthy habits’ he would like to change (pictured in Luther)
‘During my therapy I have thought a lot about change, almost to the point where neuropaths (sic) are being changed and shifted.
“It’s not because I don’t like myself or anything like that, it’s just because I have some unhealthy habits that have really formed.”
‘And I work in an industry where I am rewarded for those unhealthy habits, I am rewarded for that.
“Whether it’s selfish, or (because) I’m a workaholic. I’m an absolute workaholic, and that’s generally not good for life.
‘Nothing too extreme is okay, everything needs balance, but I’m greatly rewarded for being a workaholic (compared to someone who says “eh, I’m not going to see my family for six months” and I’m in grinding there and starting a new family and leaving them behind.
‘These are processes where I had to say: ‘I have to adapt’.
“So I’ve been thinking about this a lot and, strangely enough, a lot of our childhood really underlies it.”
When asked if he would like to work less, Elba answers: ‘Work less? Come on.’
Press: Idris is also an award-winning film director, a rapper, a DJ, a producer and an entrepreneur (pictured at the 2021 UN Climate Conference)
Multi-talented: Idris believes his problem is made worse because he is ‘hugely rewarded’ by his industry as a workaholic
He continued, “The thing is, the things that relax me end up being work.
‘My studio in my house, I just like being here. I open that laptop and say, “I don’t know what to make today,” and it comes out like this or like that.
‘And it makes me happy, but also so relaxed.
‘I could work on a film for ten days, underwater sequences holding my breath for six minutes, and then come back and sit in (his studio) and (feel relaxed), even more so than when I’m sitting on the couch with the family – which is bad right?
“This is the part where I have to normalize what makes me relaxed, it can’t just be work.”
Elba is the father of two children: daughter Isan and son Winston, whom he had with previous partners. In 2019, he married his third wife, Canadian model Sabrina Dhowre.
After appearing in TV shows in the 1990s, Elba rose to fame playing gangster Stringer Bell in the hit show The Wire in 2002 and has since starred in The US Office and the lead role in the BBC detective series Luther.
His resume also included a long list of films, including RocknRolla, Pacific Rim and Molly’s Game, and was often touted as a candidate for James Bond.
Let’s be honest: The Luther sensation even explained that he finds working on a grueling film set for 10 days straight “more relaxing” than sitting on the couch with his family