14 DAY TRIAL // Let’s agree that Idris Elba is one of the most handsome, stylish and imposing actors today. He is also extremely talented, which he will prove in the upcoming Netflix film “Beasts of No Nation,” which he’s promoting with a gorgeous spread in the September 2015 issue of Maxim Magazine.
He is also featured on the cover alone, which is important because he is the first man to have ever posed solo for a Maxim cover. That’s part of the mag’s reinvention of the term “lad magazine,” Editor-in-Chief Kate Lanphear tells Racked.
Idris is a man of fashion, no doubt about it
You can see photos from the spread in the gallery below. British Elba is also a very stylish man and has come to be considered somewhat of a fashion icon in recent years.
His fashion sense has even been cited by fans as reason why he should be cast as the next James Bond after Daniel Craig’s contract expires. The other would be that, obviously, the world needs a black James Bond, in the sense that it’s high time some diversity would also be introduced to the 007 universe.
Realistically speaking, Elba might never get to play the famous spy for a variety of reasons, most of which have nothing to do with the color of his skin. Still, if you want a taste of how he would have looked like in Bond’s impeccably tailored suits, this Maxine spread should do the trick.
And lest this feels like we’re objectifying him, embedded at the end of this post is a trailer for the film he’s promoting, which is written and adapted by Cary Fukunaga, whose previous work includes the brilliant first season of HBO’s “True Detective.”
Idris was the obvious choice
Speaking with Racked, Maxim’s Lanphear says that the September issue will be fashion-focused. When it came to deciding who to put on the cover, Elba seemed like the most obvious choice: he is fashionable but he is also “badass,” and that makes him perfect for the new direction of the publication.
The fact that he has his own clothing line obviously counted as well.
“For me, he was really the perfect embodiment of what I think the new Maxim man is. He’s multi-dimensional, he’s complex, he’s sophisticated, but he’s down to earth. It was funny when on set, I was like, ‘Is there anything this guy can’t do?’ He’s an award-winning actor, he’s a DJ, his capsule clothing line for Superdry is about to hit stores,” Lanphear says. “The guy broke the [British] land speed record which hasn’t been touched since like 1928. He’s sort of a living, breathing superhero.”
Mrs. Lanphear, the Internet thanks you for this.
