'Idris Elba punched me and it was great fun'

9 hours ago

Henry Godfrey-Evansand

Lois Worrow,Essex

Delilah O'Riordan was in a combat training scene with the English actor

Amazon MGM Studios/Lauren Carter/BBC A side by side image of Idris Elba mid-action scene, and Delilah in a strong hand-on-hips pose. — Delilah O'Riordan was in a combat training scene with the English actor

A schoolgirl said it was "great fun" to be "punched" in the stomach by Sir Idris Elba while filming for a Hollywood movie.

At 13, Delilah O'Riordan worked with Tom Hanks in Here (2024). A year later, classmates at her school in Brentwood, Essex, were shocked to see her face on the big screen yet again.

A live action remake of the 1980s cartoon, Masters of the Universe, hit UK cinemas on 5 May.

"My scene was with Idris Elba. In the scene he punched me in the stomach which was great fun. He's really lovely, and I think it was quite surreal," said O'Riordan.

"We did a few practises and he was like making jokes and things so it was really funny.

"It was a very down-to-earth set so I'd just be getting my hair done and then down the hall Nicholas [Galitzine] was getting his hair done.

"Everyone felt very like a family. It was really lovely."

(Left to right) Roboto, Duncan, He-Man, Teeler and Cringer the tiger

Amazon Content Services A dramatic low-angle shot of the lead stars looking at something behind the camera — (Left to right) Roboto, Duncan, He-Man, Teeler and Cringer the tiger

Elba plays Duncan, general of the royal army and in charge of training the young troops.

Galitzine appears as He-Man, with Camila Mendes, Jared Leto and Alison Brie also appearing.

O'Riordan, who is from Upminster in east London, said she was "ecstatic" to win the role of young Dian, a member of the royal guard trained with He-Man as a child.

"She kind of bullies him at school, so it was quite fun to play that sort of role, because I haven't played something quite mean [before]," said O'Riordan, speaking to BBC Essex presenter Jake Peach.

She described the stunt training as "really fun", adding that she found some synergy with her co-star.

"The older version of me, Christiaan (Bettridge) – she's trained in ballet and she's also a stunt woman.

"So, when she was doing the stunt, she was really elegant and I'm trained in ballet as well. So people say that we had very similar styles in the combat."

O'Riordan with Christiaan Bettridge, who played the grown version of her character

Supplied Delilah O'Riordan with Christiaan Bettridge posing for a picture on the red carpet event for Masters of the Universe — O'Riordan with Christiaan Bettridge, who played the grown version of her character

O'Riordan said she was juggling exam revision with filming.

"I went to my trailer sometimes and I'd do some Mandarin."

She added that some of her classmates were caught off-guard to see her face appear.

"I was under NDA [non-disclosure agreement], so I didn't really say to many people that I was doing it and then when it came out, I kind of forgot to mention it."