Idris Elba Says He's Trying to Quit Using Social Media: 'It Makes Me Feel Depressed'
Looks like fans of Idris Elba will be seeing a lot less of the actor on their timelines.
The 47-year-old Hobbs & Shaw star recently told Fast Company he’s making an effort to step back from social media.
“I’ve been trying to wean myself off. I used to post a lot more, but it’s been putting me off lately,” he told the outlet. “And Twitter’s just not how I want to receive my news.”
He continued, “I read the news aggregated on my iPad, but I can’t check it constantly—I’m not proud of it, but it’s true—because it makes me feel depressed.”
The former titleholder of PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive made waves on Twitter earlier this month after posting a funny side-by-side comparison of himself in 1995 alongside current Sexiest Man Alive John Legend from the same year.
“It was just good fun, good times. I didn’t realize what it would grow into when it did on Twitter, I really didn’t!” Elba told PEOPLE about the back-and-forth conversation he had with Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen. “It was great.”
2019 has been a busy year for the actor, who also works as a producer, director and DJ. (He made his Coachella debut in April.)
In addition to starring in the film musical Cats next month, the Golden Globe-winning actor has partnered with Ford to help launch the company’s all-electric Mustang-inspired Mach-E SUV.
The collaboration is a personal milestone for Elba, who previously said in a statement that he and his father both worked at a Ford factory in England.
“It’s a landmark moment with a company of which my dad paid for my meals as a kid from the work that he did at Ford. And when I wanted to be an actor and dream, the money I saved up to take me to New York for the first time came from Ford. This moment is very special from a personal aspect,” he said.
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When Elba has 15 minutes of free time, the actor told Fast Company he avoids technology altogether. “I’ll just sit in the dark, stare, and try not to do anything—just clear my mind and decompress.”
He also prefers an earlier bed time. “When I get in bed at 9 or 10, I feel great the next day. But it really depends. I typically get four to five hours of sleep a night.”
Cats opens Dec. 20.
