The decision to kill off Idris Elba's character in The Wire was not a popular one – not least with Idris himself – but the fate of Stringer Bell was almost a lot, lot darker.

While reflecting on his final scenes as the drug kingpin, Idris Elba told The Hollywood Reporter that his original exit was an "absolute tragedy", one which he demanded was changed entirely before filming began.

Revealing what could have been Stringer's final moments on-screen, the actor explained that Michael K Williams' Omar was supposed to shoot him before whipping "his dick out and [pissing] on him".

HBO

"I was pissed," Idris said of the script's draft, before revealing the strong words he and showrunner David Simon shared over Stringer's already contentious death.

"I told him it was absolute tragedy, that it was sensational, and that it wasn't going to happen," the Luther star said. And thankfully, it didn't.

Despite his initial concerns that The Wire would be one of his last big-name acting gigs, Idris' popularity has gone from strength to strength ever since – not least because he's cemented himself as the nation's dream James Bond casting.

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Related: Every single time Idris Elba has told us he won't be playing James Bond

Adding fuel to the ever-burning 007 fire, Idris recently set fans' hearts aflutter by sharing a selfie of him and the current James Bond, Daniel Craig, at the Golden Globes, alongside the caption "awks".

Stop toying us with, man.

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