Naomie Harris leaned on Elba for Mandela support

Naomie Harris says Idris Elba put her ”at ease” while filming ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’.

The 37-year-old actress, who plays Winnie Madikizela-Mandela – Nelson Mandela’s second wife – in the biopic about the late South African president, admits she leaned on the ‘Luther’ star (Mandela) for support throughout the filming process because it was such a daunting project.

She said: ”The first thing Idris said to me was, ‘Woah, what have we done? It’s terrifying, isn’t it?’

”It really put me at ease. We held each other’s hands through the whole process.”

Despite having plenty of support from her 41-year-old co-star, the ‘Skyfall’ stunner admits it was tough to let go of her role when the movie had wrapped because it had such a big impact on her.

Speaking in the latest issue of Red magazine, she added: ”It meant inhabiting places I try never to go, like revenge, hatred and rage.

”I don’t hate anyone, and I’m really not a vengeful person, but I found it really difficult to switch off. Even after I stopped filming, it took me a while to shake her.”