Star Trek Beyond's Idris Elba Reveals Details on His "Predatory" Villain

Justin Lin's directorial debut into the Star Trek universe with Star Trek Beyond is closely being followed by fans, some of who are not so keen on the Fast & Furious filmmaker's more fun approach with the movie.

In light of this, the movie's cast and crew are up for defending the long-running science-fiction series.

Of note is actor Idris Elba's current interview with EW, where the 43-year-old English actor discussed his role as the villain Krall in Star Trek Beyond, as well as aspects he loved about the Star Trek franchise.

Elba shared:

I play Krall. This is a man with a definite purpose. I say a man, but he's not a man. Or is he?

He did explain that Krall isn't a Gorn and that the character is a completely new species in the Star Trek universe.

The actor explained:

What's interesting about him is that he has a real beef with what the Enterprise stands for. Krall's a character who's deeply steeped in hatred — in my opinion, a well-earned hatred — for the Federation. It felt quite political. There's a relatability to what's happening in our world. Not everybody's happy with what everybody calls the good guys.

Krall is predatory. He's not one for big speeches. He is one for going to get what he wants. If that means having to do it himself, outside of his army, he is not afraid to do that.

Asked what his experience is like wearing "all that makeup," the actor shared:

Typically, my day would start at 4:15 in the morning. I'd be in the chair until around 7:30, shoot about 8:30. Shot ‘til around 9 at night, maybe later. Get home, unwind, get to sleep, and then wake up in the morning and do the whole thing again. It was definitely an extensive process. I learned so much about working with prosthetics, and how that can influence the performance. I'm claustrophobic by the way; I don't like rubber masks on my face.

Check out a photo of Elba as Krall from the EW exclusive:

Explaining more about Krall's seemingly rejection of the foundation for the Federation, Elba explained:

There's some history that we explore, to understand why he feels the frontier needs to push back. There's definitely an opposing argument to the good that the Federation think they do. There are purists that believe in independence, and believe that we're all made differently for a reason, and will fight tooth and nail to defend that. There's massive relatability to modern world politics in that sense.

The actor also shared how his favorite character is the "smooth" Captain Kirk:

There was nothing fazing him. It was part of the DNA of the show that, in times of ridiculous peril, Mr. Kirk was the coolest actor on the set.

Idris Elba also made a very impressive villanous performance as the voice of Shere Khan in The Jungle Book. No doubt he'll do great as Krall in Star Trek Beyond. The actor even said that after the film, audiences wouldn't want his character to return.

You can check out the full interview here.

Star Trek Beyond hits theaters on July 22.

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