This weekend, the Idris Elba-starring survival thriller Beast hits theaters nationwide. The man vs. nature flick features Elba as a recently widowed father who has to protect his daughters from a man-eating lion while on vacation in South Africa, and it has just been revealed that Elba's real-life daughter, Isan Elba, auditioned and lost out on the role to play one of her dad's on-screen kids. Apparently, Elba's 20-year-old daughter auditioned for Beast and didn't win the role because she lacked on-screen chemistry with her actual father. Elba explained that his daughter did not take the news well.
According to Insider, Elba said, "She wants to be an actress and she auditioned. 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.” Although Elba expressed his daughter's disappointment about the audition experience, she has still been described as being "very gracious" about not being picked for the role, and even attended the film's premiere alongside her dad. Elba went on to say, “I’m really proud of her to go through that, you know what I mean. And then not get the role, but still come to the premiere.”
Beast producer Will Packer also commented on the matter, saying “Idris is right, some of the nuances of that real-life relationship sometimes doesn’t translate on screen.” Young up-and-coming actresses Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries ended up winning the roles of Elba's children in the film. Beast also stars District 9 actor Sharlto Copley. Beast is directed by Baltasar Kormákur from a script by Ryan Engle. The movie is based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan and is expected to bring in $10 million dollars in its opening weekend against a $36 million budget. Beast will have to battle it out against another big release, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Elba has been nominated for four Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie for playing the title character in BBC's Luther. Elba is also an established movie star, having been featured in many films including Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Beasts of No Nation, and The Suicide Squad. Elba will next be seen on the big screen in an upcoming film adaptation of Luther. Elba's daughter may have not landed a role in Beast opposite her own father, but that doesn't mean she won't be gracing the big screen anytime soon.
Check out the trailer for Beast below: