Idris Elba and writer Neil Cross talk about creating Luther
And now an extended inside look at Luther.
Neil Cross: Episode one, series one, begins with the end of a case where a very, very bad man has been traced by Luther, to a a very, very bad place. And Luther has chased him here in order to save the life of a young child that this man has kidnapped.
Idris Elba (John Luther): Neil describes atmosphere. Describes the environment in the weirdest detail. So he'll say: the structure was rusty. Probably industrial steel from 1946. Why? It's just because in the way he writes he really paints a picture for the reader. I suspect that Neil as a novelist brings that into his script writing.
So as I'm reading that first scene, I'm in Puerto Rico, shooting a film out there. It's a hundred degrees. And I'm like instantly cold. I'm wet. I'm damp. I'm in this industrial place. And this character Luther, who I still don't know yet, is like, allowing him to hang. Just completely compelled.
Luther: Oh, Henry. You're gonna fall Henry.
Oh God.
It's like the gift of God, you know. I'm gonna decide if you're gonna die or not. So I was completely brought into that scene and that script. And the idea of Luther, from the first page. From the first page.
