Actor Idris Elba, the star of an upcoming Nelson Mandela biopic Long Walk to Freedom, was rushed to the hospital after suffering an asthma attack.
Independent reports that Elba was on a plane going to a news conference in Johannesburg for his new movie when he suffered an asthma attack, leading him to be sent to a hospital.
According to Daily Mail the film’s producer Anant Singh is hopeful that the actor will be in attendance at a planned red carpet event this Sunday.
41-year-old British actor will be playing former South African president Nelson Mandela in this new biopic, but unfortunately he missed the news conference he was supposed to attend because of his illness.
Skyfall actress Naomie Harris plays Mandela’s wife. The movie will follow Mandela’s journey from childhood through prison, release and election as the first South African democrat president.
According to Sky News, the actor who looked healthy at the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September spoke on the honor to portray Mandela and understanding what it’s like to live in South Africa.
“I moved to South Africa for about three months prior to shooting, just so that I could understand what South Africa was like… and to understand the tribes, especially Mr. Mandela’s. The challenges were massive but we embraced them. He had a very difficult life, so we weren’t expecting to make an easy film,” Elba said.
Elba also told the Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye that he spent a night on Robben Island, locked in a cell next to the one where Mandela was jailed for 18 years.
“I wanted the audience to know what it was like once Mandela and his colleagues were jailed and the crowds dissipated,” Elba said.
Elba looks to have a successful recovery as he gears for the release of his new movie.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is expected to be released in the UK on January 3, 2014.
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