Sky News reported that Elba was en route to the South Africa premiere of his new Nelson Mandela biopic, "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," on Saturday when the asthma attack happened. He was removed from the plane and rushed to the hospital before it left the U.K.
"Idris is in hospital after an asthma attack on the plane last night," producer Anant Singh told reporters at a press conference in Johannesburg Nov. 2, according to the Independent.
The 41-year-old ultimately made it to the Nov. 3 premiere of the flick. He was seen with Nelson Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, and his ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, according to Getty, which secured photos of the event. The 95-year-old revolutionary did not attend the premiere as he remains in critical condition in his Johannesburg home, CNN reported.
The film is largely based on Mandela's autobiography by the same name. Elba told CNN that it was a big task to attempt to portray the iconic leader.
"During the preparation for 'Mandela,' I was very nervous about my abilities, my capabilities as an actor," he said. "But then it came to me as I was playing a 70-year-old man [that] if you put your mind on something you can actually do it."
On Nov. 7, the cast of the film will attend a screening hosted by President Obama at the White House, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
