- - Idris Elba Reveals How He Would React in a Real-Life “Hijack” Situation (Exclusive)

Sabienna BowmanJanuary 19, 2026 at 9:00 PM

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Idris Elba in 'Hijack' -

Idris Elba tells PEOPLE how he would handle a real-life hijack situation

The actor gave props to his Hijack character, corporate negotiator Sam Nelson

New episodes of Hijack season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV

Idris Elba has major respect for his Hijack character's ability to stay calm under pressure.

The actor, 53, recently spoke with PEOPLE about season 2 of his hit Apple TV thriller, and revealed who would handle a real-life hijacking situation better: him or corporate negotiator Sam Nelson. Elba was candid in his response, revealing that Sam has the edge.

"I'd handle it worse probably," he tells PEOPLE. "I'd handle it worse." He adds, "I'm not sure I'd think on the way he does."

Elba went on to share how his personality differs from Sam's. If he found himself in a hostage situation, the Heads of State actor thinks he would try to connect with his captors on a personal level.

He explains, "I would try and appeal to the human beings involved and try and say, 'Hey, man, it doesn't have to be like this.' Where he's a lot more like, 'Okay, I'll figure this out. I'll double cross you all somehow.' "

The Luther star adds that he tends to be "calm and not a panicker, but definitely probably not as good as a negotiator as him [Sam]."

Apple TV

Idris Elba on 'Hijack'

Hijack season 2 finds Sam on an underground train in Berlin, after season 1 landed him in a high-flying hostage situation on a plane. Just like the first season, nothing is quite what it seems as the businessman ends up in over his head in another volatile situation.

For his part, Elba initially had some doubts about whether the magic of season 1 could be recreated. "It's a complex show to make," he says. "It was really good and people really loved it. And can we do it again? I wasn't sure."

"As much as I loved the character, sometimes you've just got to move on, but I was really sort of compelled to see how we could do it and see if we can do it again, do it well, keep what the audience loved of the first season alive," he continues.

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Ultimately, the writers and Elba, who is also an executive producer on the series, found a way to put Sam in different high stakes hostage situation under very different circumstances for the show's second installment.

"Bearing in mind, I'm sort of trying to formalize the second season with the team during the success of the first season," he shares. "So I was trying to figure out what do we do? What do we do? How do we do it? And then this idea came up like, 'What if he's the hijacker?' And I was like, 'Yeah.' And then it all started to cascade."

Elba adds, "When you've got a good idea, it usually opens the doors for other good ideas."

New episodes of Hijack season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”