Idris Elba is afraid of "saying too much" and getting involved in a "b****** social media argument".
The 50-year-old actor insisted he lives "quite a sheltered life" and like many people in the public eye, he is reluctant to offer opinions on topical issues in case they are "taken out of context" and become the focus of an online row.
He told The Guardian newspaper:“Contrary to popular belief, I live a quite sheltered life.
""I feel as I get older – I’m 50 now – we all have fears of saying too much, oversharing and whatnot.
"And in this day and age, it’s really difficult to have an opinion if you’re in the public eye because it gets overly scrutinised, taken out of context, thrown into some sort of b*******, zeitgeisty social media argument.”
Idris - who has two children from previous relationships and married third wife Sabrina Dhowre in 2017 - can next be seen reprising his role as John Luther in 'Luther: The Fallen Sun' and while he doesn't think he's much like the detective, he admitted one thing they do have in common is being "guarded" about their deepest feelings.
He said: “I’m nothing like Luther in real life, apart from perhaps being very patient.
“John has demons, right? And you don’t know much about his past. I don’t relate to that but I can be quite guarded. I’m in the public eye all the time, and I’m quite open. But at the same time, do you really know much about me? If you read my interviews, I’m very careful. I’m not overly sharing some of my deepest, darkest, and neither is John.”
As well as acting, Idris has turned his hand to a number of other ventures including fashion design, producing, DJing, making music, hosting a podcast, releasing his own ranges of wines and skincare, and kickboxing.
While the 'Beasts of No Nation' star acknowledged some people find him "exhausting", he insisted he isn't doing anything other people couldn't do too.
He said: “I’m 50 years old, and I am exhausted sometimes. But at the same time, I’ve pushed what I was expected to do as a Black person in the UK, having grown up in a certain socioeconomic dynamic.
"So for those that are sitting there going: ‘Oh my God he’s f****** exhausting’, it’s because you are sitting there. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
"My biology and your biology are no different. We are the same species. Our intellect, IQs, cultural backgrounds may be different, but our capabilities as human beings are the same.”
