Ever since he first got on peoples' radar, Idris Elba has been the subject of the kind of talk that leaves diehard fans disappointed if their hopes for the actor don't pan out, but also disappointed if he gets mainstream recognition. The "oh, he would be so good in this movie!" or "he should be the next James Bond." Now, he's finally got the recognition he deserves. Not as the Obama of James Bonds, but as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. The "sweet smoldering superstar" was officially announced as the most sexy on The Tonight Show, where he video-called in to talk with Jimmy Fallon about the honour, demonstrating flawlessly his claim to the adjectives "sweet" and "smoldering."
For many Idris Elba will always be Stringer Bell, his character in The Wire, who epitomizes the qualities for which Idris Elba is now being publicly recognized. Bell is a kingpin, who runs drug empire out of a few apartment blocks but has bigger ideas, suiting up and taking economics classes to streamline his operations and, he hopes, to expand into more legal enterprises. His character has inspired countless rappers over the years and will likely continue to do so. Watch a scene below (that includes spoilers) where Bell says one of his most famous Sexiest-Man-Alive lines: "Im an XL"