Idris Elba Jokes That Being Sexiest Man Alive Was His 'Hardest Role Ever'

Emma McIntyre/Getty Idris Elba poses for a photo

Idris Elba says it was a challenge being named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive.

The actor, 50, talked to ET Canada about his 2018 honor and said that despite taking on many types of roles throughout his career, from detective Luther to comic-book antihero Bloodsport, starring on the cover of PEOPLE was one of his most difficult.

"My hardest role ever," Elba joked to the outlet.

As the actor recalled, he walked into his shoot with photographer David Burton — who shot his Sexiest Man Alive cover — and had one request. "I said to the photographer, 'I don't always photograph great in pictures, this picture needs to be great,' " Elba said.

"[They're like] 'No, no, no. We've done this a million times, we know how to do it.' And I was like, 'Ok, I'll just be me,' " he added. "Then they do this sort of thing where they make your favorite camera angle work for the cover."

Pietro S. D'Aprano/Getty Idris Elba

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Elba's face appeared on one of over 30 Sexiest Man Alive covers. The first to be given the honor was Mel Gibson back in 1985, and in recent years, the honor has gone to the likes of Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Michael B. Jordan and John Legend, to name a few.

For Elba, being bestowed with the title was a big deal back in 2018. "I was like, 'Come on, no way. Really?'" the actor told PEOPLE at the time. "[I] looked in the mirror, I checked myself out. I was like, 'Yeah, you are kind of sexy today.' But to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a nice surprise — an ego boost for sure."

Bennett Raglin/Getty

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Elba's comments about his Sexiest Man Alive feature came about after he decided to squash long-running rumors about his potential future starring as James Bond in 007 films, telling The Guardian that he was "nowhere" near being cast as Bond following Daniel Craig's exit from the franchise.

Opening up about the role that 1989's Sexiest Man Alive Sean Connery once held, Elba admitted it was nothing more than a rumor. "I love the Bond franchise, I'm very close to the producers," said Elba. "We were all kind of laughing about the rumors because they are just that."

He continued: "I can't speak for [the producers], but from my perspective, there's never been any sort of truth to any of it. It's a compliment, and it's an honor — but it's not a truth."

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Previously, Elba's name came up as a potential future Bond when Sony Pictures' Amy Pascal revealed in a leaked 2014 email that she felt "Idris should be the next Bond." Later, Barbara Broccoli, one of the franchise's lead producers, said in 2022 that Elba had "been part of the conversation" during an appearance on Deadline's Crew Call podcast.

"Well, we know Idris, I'm friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor," she said in January 2022. "You know, it's been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat."

"I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has kind of had its run and Daniel has been able to, well, we've all been able to, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about or talk about anybody else, actors to play the role or storylines or anything. We just wanna live in the moment, the present," added Broccoli.

Broccoli has since said that "nobody's in the running" for the starring role.