When Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski announced his next project, a Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt, everyone in Hollywood auditioned for the young lead. Last summer, a paparazzi shot of Pitt and Snowfall’s Damson Idris wearing racing suits on an F1 track in the UK let the world know who got the part. “That was our first day of filming,” says Idris. “I look to my left, it’s Brad Pitt. I look to my right, it’s Javier Bardem. I look at my hands, they’re shaking. And we shoot all of this epic stuff and all the amazing drivers are there, from Lewis [Hamilton] to [Max] Verstappen to everyone.” From set in Abu Dhabi, Idris dispatches a typical day behind the wheel: “I was in the car for 45 minutes today. It sounds normal, but it’s not. It’s very hot out here. You’re strapped in, sweating through the helmet. You lose so much weight.” Juggling his rising star, Idris is keeping his eyes on the road: “I’m proud to say I know every single thing about Formula 1 cars.… And yes, everyone here binged Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”

Born in Peckham, Southeast London, Idris is the youngest of six and the only one in his family not born in Nigeria. “My mom was a trader, an entrepreneur. When we arrived in London, you had to kind of hustle again and make your way up.”

Seeing him in a play earned the family’s seal of approval, even if his mom would prefer he’d do soaps. “I’ll be working at the National Theater and she’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s great, but when are you going to end up on EastEnders?’ ”

His breakout was playing Franklin on FX’s Snowfall for six seasons. “We were a show that kind of went below the radar for about three, four seasons, and then COVID hit and streaming boomed. All of a sudden it’s like, I can’t go to Ralphs anymore and the biggest musicians in the world are talking about Franklin. It’s aging like wine and I’m just thrilled that I could be a part of something like that. I think Snowfall will live forever.”

He brought his mom as his date to the NAACP Awards in March, where he won outstanding actor in a drama series for the series’ final season. He beat his heroes Forest Whitaker, Jesse L. Martin, and his mentor, Idris Elba. During his acceptance speech, he shared that his mom flew 17 hours from Lagos and before she boarded said, “Damson, if I come to Los Angeles, you better win.” The speech went viral, making her “the most famous woman in Nigeria right now.” As for Elba? “He was trying to steal the trophy from me. He really is my big brother.”

Another viral moment was when Denzel Washington was asked about Idris on a red carpet. He replied: “I don’t know who that is.” Reflecting back, Idris laughs: “I had work to do!” They’ve since met at a basketball game. “I introduced myself very timidly and he just started tickling me. God willing, one day I will get to work with him.”

After meeting with Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, he learned he got the part while traveling. “I get a call from Joe like, ‘Hey, do you want to be a Formula 1 driver?’ I was like, ‘I’m in Turks and Caicos right now, but I can leave right now.’ Next thing you know, I was in London at Rockingham and in Silverstone training every day.”

Kosinski and Bruckheimer knew that Idris could act, but could he drive? “It was wet that day, I’ll never forget. I was like, Oh my gosh, please don’t crash. One, because you’ll probably die, but two, more importantly, you won’t get the part.”

Working with Kosinski was a dream come true. “He is a director’s director. He is the epitome of cinema in my opinion. The feeling I felt when I walked out of Top Gun was how I felt when I was a kid and I watched E.T. or Star Wars. Those movies are just defined by one thing: entertainment. Everyone, no matter what your background, could come and watch this film.… His process is amazing.”

As for Pitt? “Talk about a superstar. His humility is second to none. I don’t know if people know this, but he is really good behind that car. Really good. Too good almost. He makes me nervous how good he is.”

Before he was behind the wheel of a race car, Idris was picking up speed with a video game controller. “I used to love playing Gran Turismo and the F1 games.”

Off-screen, Idris is into fashion, wearing the clothes instead of letting them wear him. “I’m intrigued by my history, what I like and how I felt living in the hood where no one’s wearing Prada but really loving Prada. Tommy Hilfiger was the first thing I ever bought from Bicester Village.”