Idris Elba stars in and executive produced the Apple TV+ series, Hijack. New episodes are released weekly, every Wednesday leading up to the finale on August 2.

Told in real time, “Hijack” is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers.

“I put myself in that character’s shoes and was like, ‘What would really happen? Let’s think through this.’ George Kay, our writer, did a really good job of just helping me, helping to find that balance. Of course, you want this character to have urgency, and be there and be present, and make decisions but at the same time, he’s not a hero,” he explained about portraying Sam Nelson. “He’s not an ex-marine, he’s not a cop, he’s not John Luther, he’s not a tough guy.”

As for the set, Elba told me, “We decided to bring a plane in, take the wings off and put it in, and be constrained by the actuality of it and that really just changed the game. It just informed where you could shoot, what you could shoot, how you could shoot it. So you feel the claustrophobia as an audience because it’s not like you got these massive great wides, you’re just there like your eyeballs would see it.”

I had the opportunity to ask the actor which episodes were the most challenging to do, how he approached his character, and filming on an authentic plane.

Watch my interview here: