Actor Idris Elba has called the moment he learned of Nelson Mandela's death at the premiere of his biopic "surreal."
The 41-year-old star, who was cast as South Africa's first black president in the film 'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom', said the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were "in tears" with him in the Odeon cinema in London's Leicester Square.
In an interview with Radio 2's Chris Evans, he said it was "undoubtedly one of the strangest - and most beautiful - moments of my career."
He said: "Literally halfway through the film Mandela had passed and there was sort of a slight buzz around the auditorium.
"Interestingly, the Duchess, Kate, sort of turned to me and looked at me as she had her phone and I wondered what was wrong with her because she looked quite emotional, but the film's very emotional.
"And my girlfriend looked at me and handed the phone and I looked down and Mandela has passed and it was on a website."
Nelson Mandela died on December 5, aged 95, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Idris continued: "It was just the most surreal moment. I looked back at Kate and Prince William and they were just in tears with me. It was just odd, very odd.
"There's a moment in the film and I play older Mandela and he says this one line and it is, 'Just open the gate and let me free' - and I kid you not, that that was that line when we heard the news that was on the screen.
"It only felt appropriate to say what had happened and honestly there was an audible gasp in the auditorium."
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