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Actor Idris Elba recently shared a story that exemplifies why many people are reluctant to get involved when they see someone else being violently attacked.
During an interview with the Smartless podcast, Elba recalled how, during his days as a nightclub DJ, he intervened while an abusive man was threatening to kill his girlfriend only to have that abusive man point a gun in his face, not because Elba got in the middle of him and his domestic violence victim, but because the man thought the Luther actor was flirting with his girl—by trying to prevent her from becoming a domestic violence victim.
From Mirror:
Recalling the terrifying incident, the actor said: “I nearly lost my f***ing life,” he added: “A guy (was) whaling on his missus, screaming in her face, “I’ll f***ing kill you,” and so on. I come round and I go ‘Look how beautiful she is. Why would you talk to this beautiful princess like that?'”
The actor said that the stranger then pulled out his gun, stuck it right to his face, and said: “You talking about my girl?”
The former Beast star explained that the man was angry at him because he thought Elba was trying to hit on his girlfriend, according to the Daily Mail. Luckily, Elba was able to explain his motives and everyone involved was able to leave the situation unharmed.
Imagine the explanation Elba had to give this man in order to get out of being shot: “Look, bruv, I’m not trying to take your girl from you by telling you she’s fine AF, I just don’t want you to beat the hell out of her until she’s less attractive, or, you know, at all.”
Anyway, the man who likely didn’t take having a gun pointed at him quite as calmly as his character Stinger Bell also had some good times while he was a DJ. He also revealed how he and Prince Harry became friends on the nightclub scene.
“I was DJing in all these clubs where Harry would show up and he was like ‘Yo!’ and I’m like ‘Yo!’ And then at one point he was like, ‘Listen man, I’m getting married.’ I was like, ‘Yo! That’s amazing,’ he adds: “He goes, ‘I want you to DJ,’ Elba recalled, adding that he initially turned the prince down, but he did attend the royal wedding and he did do a little DJing at the reception for Harry and Meghan at the Frogmore House.
That man has had quite the life and career(s), hasn’t he? Glad he got to keep living after the gun incident, though.
