Let’s all think back to a happier time, shall we? A time in, say, May, when it was spring, and warm breezes flowed through the air. A time when Meghan Markle married Prince Harry and, with one shared glance, helped everyone believe in love once more. A time when those who missed his sets at Glastonbury and Essence Fest learned that acclaimed actor Idris Elba is also a DJ, and one so skilled that he was chosen to spin tracks at the Royal Wedding.
Like many people, you may have accepted this with a shrug and moved on. (Idris Elba is also starring in a live-action adaptation of the musical Cats with Taylor Swift; who are we to question what the man does?) But in an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday to promote his upcoming Netflix series Turn Up Charlie (which happens to be about a struggling DJ) DeGeneres asked him to explain how he got the Royal Wedding gig.
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Elba said he had gotten to know Harry and his father, Prince Charles, through the charity The Prince’s Trust, which had helped him out when he was a young actor. Over time, Harry became a fan of Elba’s craft as a DJ.
“Harry came to a couple of parties that I DJ’ed, and he was like, ‘Hey man, what are you doing on the date [May 19],’ and I was like, ‘Nothing,’” Elba said. “He goes, ‘Hmm, would you DJ at my wedding?’ I was like, ‘Is this a joke? Are you joking?’ And he’s like, ‘Serious.’”
Elba, of course, accepted — and the rest is royal history. Of the set, Harry apparently had nothing but praise.
“He said about the gig, ‘It was great,’” he told DeGeneres.
You almost certainly missed Elba at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, but don’t worry — you can still catch him at Coachella in April. There, the reigning Sexiest Man Alive is set to be spinning tracks for all who are able to make it to the desert.