Idris Elba talks playing Nelson Mandela

... "But she needed to see the complex man." Based on Mandela's autobiography, the film, which opened last weekend in New York, has been in the works for years. Denzel Washington was the original choice for the role. "But at some point the DNA changed ...

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/12/nelson_mandela_dead.html