Idris Elba Quotes

As soon as someone tells me: 'You're rather sexy,' I wish I could disappear. If somebody says: 'You were voted the world's sexiest man,' I have no idea what that means. How do I respond? 'Thank you' is the best you can do. George Clooney is the world's sexiest man, anyway.

It's weird to me for people to stare at me, because I feel like I'm normal. I don't see what there is to stare about.

The fact that anyone would find me sexy is very, very flattering, but ridiculous. I so don't believe it. But I'm flattered. Truth is, I don't lift a finger to look sexy. Ever.

It's not like I go out there to be a sex symbol. I mean, it's nice of course - but embarrassing.

My biggest insecurity is that my personality is too much, and as I get older, it's just getting bigger.

I've always been uncomfortable, so to speak, when the focus is on me.

I was a big kid my whole life. I grew up among big people. My brother was a big kid. I didn't really feel like a big kid. Except for the teachers, who pretty much didn't want me to squish any of the other kids.

I don't want people to look at me.

When you're young, you're always concerned about how you're being seen and how you're being criticized.

I find celebrity status difficult to bear when I am in the company of my mother.

I'm not that good looking.

But I've never considered myself any kind of heartthrob. It sounds painful.

I'm the least sexy person in real life.

I don't take compliments so well. I always hang my head and shuffle and kind of try to immediately forget.

I love being regarded as a sex symbol, but I can't take it too seriously.

I don't even like hearing my own voice on an answering machine.

The thing is, I've never been a handsome leading-man type, so let's not kid ourselves.

It's not my plan or whatever in my life to be a sex symbol. It never is. You are who you are, but you can't help what you look like. And when you do a film, like for me, it's just not about that. I would prefer to downplay it. I prefer to downplay the sex appeal.

Look at Michelle Pfeiffer: My God, she's 50 years old, but she is still so sexy. If I were into women, I would be totally into her.

I would be horrified to watch whatever I was doing on 'Party Of Five.' I'm sure I'm bad on it.

I regret that I wasn't the kind of person who could enjoy celebrity. It embarrassed me too much.

I never thought of myself as being handsome or good-looking or whatever. I always felt like an outsider.

I'm very self conscious in a bikini, and I would never get my tummy out onstage.

I don't think I'll ever be comfortable being considered a sex symbol, especially after you work with someone like George Clooney.

There have been times I almost got a persecution complex. I felt like people wouldn't let me grow up. They always saw me as a smiling kid or goofy teenager, no matter how much I'd changed.