Idris Elba wants to play Thelonious Monk

'Thor' actor Idris Elba has revealed he is desperate to play

Thelonious Monk

in a biopic about the life of the legendary jazz musician. The 43-year-old actor played '

Nelson Mandela

' in biopic 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' and he has now set his sights on portraying one of his musical heroes, pioneering '50s artist Monk, reported Femalefirst.

"Thelonious Monk. He was a legendary jazz musician. When jazz was popular in the early 50s, Monk came along and just did something weird with it and everyone was like, 'He's a bit odd.' He had mental health issues he didn't realise he had for a long time, but he was an absolute genius because he just came in and broke all the rules".


"He was kind of like the Skrillex of his day. You know when

Sonny

came out and just DJ'd a different way to everyone else? When he's nutting it out playing a bit of d'n'b, a bit of dubstep and everyone's going, 'What the front door?' Monk was a bit like that," said Elba.

The 43-year-old actor thinks the most fascinating aspect of Monk's life is that he was able to make such incredible music while coping with the limitations of a mental illness.