"I’m rewarded for those unhealthy habits"- Idris Elba reveals he has been in therapy for his workaholic lifestyle

Idris Elba is one of the most revered actors across Hollywood, having appeared in multiple popular projects over the past two decades, including the likes of The Wire and Luther. A big part of his popularity, which also saw him named among the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World in 2016, comes from his hard work, which has also effectively put him in a tough spot.

Idris Elba recently opened up about his struggles with his workaholic lifestyle on the Changes With Annie Macmanus podcast. The actor also revealed that he has been going to therapy for over a year now to deal with this. He said that his workaholic nature is so intense that he feels more comfortable working than spending time with his family.

Elba said on the podcast:

"I’ve been in therapy the last… about a year now. It’s a lot right?...In my therapy I’ve been thinking a lot about changing… like neuropaths being shifted. It’s not because I don’t like myself or anything like that. It’s just because I have some unhealthy habits that have really formed. And I work in an industry that I’m rewarded for those unhealthy habits. I’m rewarded for them. I’m an absolute workaholic. And that isn’t great for life, generally."

Idris Elba further expanded on his therapy and workaholism in the same podcast.

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"Nothing that’s too extreme is good"- Idris Elba on workaholism

Idris Elba works in an industry where his hard work is always heavily rewarded, something that the prolific actor noted in his podcast appearance. So, this makes it particularly difficult for him to not work, which continues to earn him fame and fortune.

In the podcast, he further noted:

"Nothing that’s too extreme is good, everything needs balance. But I’m rewarded massively to be a workaholic....Those are pathways that I had to be like, ‘I’ve got to adjust."

He explained that his months-long work cycles always only encouraged him to take up more and more work, resulting in this unbreakable circle. He added:

"My studio in my house, I just love being in here,...I’ll open that laptop and be like, ‘I don’t know what to make today,’ and it’ll come out like this or that. And I’m exhilarated by that and also so relaxed by it....I could work 10 days on a film, underwater sequences holding my breath for six minutes, and come back and sit in [the studio] and [feel relaxed], more so than sitting on the sofa with the family — which is bad right?"

He concluded:

"This is the part where I’ve got to normalize what makes me relaxed, it can’t be all work."

Hopefully, the therapies will help the Extraction 2 star cope with his workaholism and make more room for himself in his schedule.

Elba most recently appeared in the Apple TV+ thriller Hijack. He will soon reprise his voice role of Knuckles in next year’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which had production ongoing during the double strike in Hollywood.

Idris Elba will also appear in Heads of State, alongside John Cena, soon.