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Actor Idris Elba recently opened up about having to go to therapy.
According to Elba, however, the 51-year-old said he’s in therapy for a unique reason, as he says it’s to focus on being less of a workaholic.
“I’ve been in therapy the last… about a year now. It’s a lot right?. In my therapy I’ve been thinking a lot about changing… like neuropaths being shifted. It’s not because I don’t like myself or anything like that,” Elba said. “It’s just because I have some unhealthy habits that have really formed. And I work in an industry that I’m rewarded for those unhealthy habits. I’m rewarded for them. I’m an absolute workaholic. And that isn’t great for life, generally.”
“Nothing that’s too extreme is good, everything needs balance. But I’m rewarded massively to be a workaholic. Those are pathways that I had to be like, ‘I’ve got to adjust,’” he said during an interview on the Changes With Annie Macmanus podcast.
Elba’s filmography certainly supports his workaholic assessment, as he’s starred in nine feature films since 2020. This year alone he’s starred in three projects: the films Luther: The Fallen Sun and Extraction 2, and the AppleTV+ series Hijack.
In 2024, he’s set to reprise his role as Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He’s also attached to the films Head of State, Fixed, and a sequel to Extraction 2.
In addition to Elba’s film career, he’s also a rapper and DJ, having released various EPs and Singles, while also DJing gigs.
One of the reasons Elba has been so busy over the last decade is he’s appeared in tons of blockbuster and franchise films such as Thor and its sequels (including Avengers: Infinity War), Pacific Rim, Hobbs & Shaw (a Fast & Furious spinoff), Zootopia, Star Trek Beyond, The Suicide Squad, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and more.