Good Guy Idris Elba has given us an unexpected delight today by reading out fan fiction about himself, as part of the marketing for his upcoming movie The Mountain Between Us. You have to think that when he was approached to do this he thought “Sure, how bad can it be?” My friend, so much worse than you could imagine.

With stories that including the actor “glamping” and being part of several different dreams (and a dream vacation) — including a story titled “Magical Neon Sexuality" by Diamond Shy — Elba gamely reads out excerpts that must have made him call his agent afterwards and say “never again.” But for now, it’s lovely. Also he’s wearing that amazing Duck Hunt shirt again.

The video is silly but also a gift, especially because he’s trying to be so nice and respectful to whatever poor souls’ work was chosen to be read, but some of the expressions he makes are amazing. “Wowzers, ok. These are real!” he assures us. But Idris, you didn’t answer — do you like puff pastries?

Check out the short video below:

The Mountain Between Us, co-starring Kate Winslet, opens October 6th. The official synopsis is below:

Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across hundreds of miles of wilderness, pushing one another to endure and discovering strength they never knew possible. The film is directed by Academy Award nominee Hany Abu-Assad and stars Academy Award winner Kate Winslet and Golden Globe winner Idris Elba.

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Image via 20th Century Fox
idris-elba-the-mountain-between-us
Image via 20th Century Fox
idris-elba-kate-winslet-the-mountain-between-us
Image via 20th Century Fox