Idris Elba Shares What He Considers His ‘Hardest Role Ever’ and It May Shock You

His career includes superhero movies, thrillers and TV shows, but none compare to the stress of a title he earned in 2018.

Idris Elba is currently promoting the release of Luther: The Fallen Sun, which debuted on Feb. 24 via Netflix, but during one fun interview, he revealed his "hardest role ever." Well, sort of.

The star recently spoke with ET Canada, recalling the coveted title and being named PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2018.

"Sexiest Man Alive is taking on a role, right?" the interviewer suggested, to which Elba enthusiastically replied, "Definitely. My hardest role ever!"

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While Elba was jesting with this comment, he went on to share how the photo shoot for the cover was a little challenging, with Elba approaching the photographer to say, "I don’t always photograph great in pictures, this picture needs to be great."

He recalled the experience, continuing, “[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.’"

"Then they do this sort of thing where they make your favorite camera angle work for the cover," the actor concluded.

Shortly after learning he'd been named, Elba shared his reaction with PEOPLE: “I was like, ‘Come on, no way. Really?'” He went on, "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.”

Related: Chris Evans' Mom Had the Best Reaction to His 'Sexiest Man Alive' Title

Five years later, fans still associate the title of Sexiest Man Alive with Elba, despite John Legend, Michael B. Jordan, Paul Rudd, and Chris Evans taking the title in the years since.

Along with his Sexist Man Alive title, Elba has had great success in acting, especially with the Luther TV series and upcoming movie, with more adventures with his character likely coming in the future. The actor is also set to star in a tense Apple TV+ thriller called Hijack, although there aren't many details about the new project just yet.

Next, Jenna Ortega Explains Why She First ‘Passed’ on Portraying Wednesday Addams in Netflix Hit.