Idris Elba was shocked when he no longer had to audition for movies.

The 50-year-old actor started his career by starring in a commercial but now starred in over 50 blockbusters and remembers feeling "mind-blown" when it became apparent that he would just be offered parts.

He said: "I remember I got to a stage where I didn't have to audition so much and that blew my mind. Even now, if I get a phone call from a director who wants to work with me, it still feels the same, 'Can I get this job? Can I do it?'

The 'Beast' star added that it was his drama teacher school - who he happened to have a "crush" on - that spotted he had something as a teenager and helped him structure a plan to succeed in acting, even though looking older than his years was a bit of an "issue" for him.

He told Reader's Digest magazine: "I had a very good drama teacher - who I also had a crush on! But she was so instrumental in helping me structure a plan. At 14, she recognised that I was good at drama. By 16, she had helped me figure out what the next stages for taking it seriously. She gave me a lot. I'm a good student. I'm just not very good with authority, so it's a bit of a strange one. I was like 'I know it all' I've always looked older than I actually am. So that was an issue for me. When kids were riding their bikes into school, I had a little Mini Cooper and a goatee beard - so I never got stopped by police! I was a man!"