Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage
Idris Elbaexperienced a big scare while filming a scene for 2007’sAmerican Gangster.
Ridley Scott, the 83-year-oldHouse of Guccidirector, recently recalled filming a scene that had Denzel Washington’s character Frank point a gun at Elba’s Tango, firing at him in the head on a crowded sidewalk in broad daylight. In a new interview, Scott told TheDaily Mailthat he instructed Elba to lean his head onto the barrel of the unloaded gun so the recoil would add realism.
“[Frank is] in the cafe and he says, ‘Just stay here’ and he goes out and all his brothers are watching, and he goes down the street and Idris Elba is standing there saying, ‘Hey, what are you going to do, shoot me, Frank? Go on, shoot me Frank in front of all these people.’ And he just goesboomand shoots him on the spot,” Scott explained of the sequence.
Scott said Elba, now 49, fell to the ground while filming the scene, thinking he’d actually been shot: “He pulled the trigger and it goesbang. Idris thought he’d been shot and dropped to the sidewalk and said, ‘I’ve been shot!’ "
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Paul Biddiss, a weapons expert who serves as a technical consultant on major Hollywood films, explained to the outlet how the prop gun worked.
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Lady Gagarecently praised Scottin aNew York Timesarticle, saying about working with him onHouse of Gucci: “I’ve never had a better experience with a director. He loves artists, and some directors don’t. They love themselves.”
Elba has since starred in various action films involving firearms, including recent films likeThe Suicide SquadandThe Harder They Fall. The British actor toldEsquireback in 2017that he was initially hesitant about playing the part of the Gunslinger inThe Dark Towergiven the heavy gun use.
House of Gucciis now playing in theaters.
source: people.com