Although there are many TikToks from members of Gen Z who find out their favorite actor has famous parents, it can still come as a shock when a familiar last name in a casting announcement isn’t just a coincidence. However, there is still hope for young actors without cinematically connected parents. When it came time for Idris Elba’s latest film, Beast, to cast the roles of his daughters, the film chose actresses Iyana Halley and Leaf Sava Jeffires, two people unrelated to Elba. Elba’s real-life daughter, Isan Elba, also auditioned for one of the parts, but the team ultimately went in another direction.
Idris shared with The Breakfast Club that she wasn’t the right actress for the part. “She wants to be an actress and she auditioned,” Elba explained. “And you know, it came down to chemistry in the end. You know, my daughter, she was great, but the relationship in the film and the relationship with my daughter was — the chemistry wasn’t right for film, weirdly enough. My daughter didn’t talk to me for about three weeks.” The film’s producer, Will Packer, chimed in: “Idris is right, some of the nuances of that real-life relationship sometimes doesn’t translate onscreen.” Packer was eventually the one who broke the news to Isan that she didn’t get the part. Despite the brief cold shoulder, the two seem to have no hard feelings as Isan attended the film’s premiere with her father this week.
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Idris Elba Talks Not Casting Daughter in ‘Beast’ MoviencG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57kWlpa2dgbXyqsNGiqmadnJeubq7EmqqtZZ2kw6qxjKemrWWTlsC1tc2gZJ2ZpZy1tbHRZqCsmZ5isq2uwGefraWc