Watch| Idris Elba uses his lifelike waxwork to unlock his own smartphone: ‘My mum’s gonna freak'
A video of British actor Idris Elba using his wax statue to unlock his smartphone has gone viral.
English actor Idris Elba has proven that his latest wax doppelgänger isn't just a visual triumph—it’s a biometric one. Last week, on Friday, during the unveiling of his life-size figure at Madame Tussauds in London, the Luther star successfully used the statue’s face to unlock his own smartphone, bypassing the high-security FaceID interface with ease.
The moment, captured in a viral video, saw a visibly amused Idris holding his device up to the figure’s sculpted features. “Haha, look at this guy,” he remarked while standing in front of his wax twin. Within seconds, the digital lock icon clicked open, confirming that the level of detail achieved by the museum’s studio team had effectively blurred the lines between man and mould. “I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless. I am speechless literally. Wow,” the 53-year-old actor added as he grappled with the surreal accuracy of the work.
Idris then weaponised the likeness to prank his mother, Eve Elba. “Hold on, I’ve got to call my mum. She’s gonna freak,” he chuckled to onlookers before initiating a FaceTime call. Upon seeing the digital twin of her son on screen, Eve’s reaction was a mix of silence and a breathless, “Oh, my God!” she excliamed. For Idris, who spent months collaborating with the museum's artists, the experience felt remarkably like his day job. “The process has been fascinating. It’s not dissimilar to prepping for a movie role—working with talented artists to flesh out the character, getting the costume just right, but this time it’s for me!” he shared.
The statue is kitted out in a monochrome blue suit from Idris’s own label. He wore the same ensemble in July 2024 when he met King Charles. Adding to the authenticity, the figure sports a pair of patent Christian Louboutin dress shoes, donated directly from Idris' personal wardrobe.
Positioned in the attraction’s ‘Awards Party’ zone alongside icons like Zendaya and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the figure marked a ‘full-circle moment’ for the Hackney-born actor. “It’s truly an honour to be recognised in this way and even more special to know this other version of me will be standing tall in London. “So, even when I’m away, a part of me is always at home,” he said in a statement.
