Photo: Idris Elba & Naomie Harris Cover JET, Stars Talk Nelson Mandela Biopic

By: Amanda Anderson-Niles

Idris Elba is officially a Golden Globe nominee, and the actor is busy with press rounds to promote his latest film, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” in which he portrays the legendary Nelson Mandela. He and his lovely co-star Naomie Harris nabbed the cover of the latest issue of  JET Magazine, and they even chatted it up about the film inside.

Check out the cover:

On why portraying Nelson Mandela was a challenge, Idris says:

“I didn’t feel like I was accomplished enough to play such a great man. It was a massive challenge. He could energize people with his charisma and aura. I tried to channel that. I want people to be inspired by his story.”

Naomi portrays Winnie Mandela and she tells the magazine that she had to rely on the support of Elba to get her through the difficulty of playing such an important role:

“I felt like he was holding my hand through the whole thing. It was a very difficult story to tell – dark and harrowing. We got to go on a journey together.”

The article can be read in its entirety in the January 6 issue of JET magazine, on newsstands December 16. Readers can also find the exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the cover photo shoot at JETMag.com.