Idris Elba gets honest about managing real-life hijack situation

Idris Elba recently got candid and shared how he would react in a real-life hijack situation.

While conversing with PEOPLE magazine regarding the second season of his blockbuster Apple TV thriller series Hijack, the 53-year-old English actor and rapper got honest about who would navigate a real-life hijacking situation better, he or his character Sam Nelson.

Elba admitted that Nelson, a corporate negotiator, has the upper hand when it comes to taking control of the situation.

He added, "I'd handle it worse probably. I'd handle it worse. I'm not sure I'd think on the way he does."

The star of A House of Dynamite went on to reveal that his personality is completely different from Nelson’s, but if he ever finds himself caught in a hostage situation, he will try to connect with his captors on a personal level.

He elaborated, "I would try and appeal to the human beings involved and try and say, 'Hey, man, it doesn't have to be like this.' Where he's a lot more like, 'Okay, I'll figure this out. I'll double cross you all somehow.’”

Elba stated that he tries to be "calm and not a panicker, but definitely probably not as good as a negotiator as him [Sam]."

For those unaware, the first season of Hijack landed Nelson in a high-flying hostage situation on a plane and now in a sophomore season, he finds himself on an underground train in Berlin.

It is significant to mention that Hijack season 2 was released on January 14, 2026, on Apple TV.