Idris Elba Makes History As Maxim’s First Male Solo Cover Star

British actor Idris Elba, 42, broke the record for Maxim magazine as the first solo male cover star. Although men have appeared on the cover of the magazine before, they were photographed alongside women.

The editor-in-chief of Maxim, Kate Lanphear, spoke of Idris’ cover on Tuesday, via Racked.

“We’ve never in US Maxim history had a man on the cover solo. This is the very first time, and there was no one else in the world more bada** than Idris.”

Lanphear went on and gushed about Idris Elba and talked about his accomplishments and how great he is.

“For me, he was really the perfect embodiment of what I think the new Maxim man is. He’s multi-dimensional, he’s complex, he’s sophisticated, but he’s down to earth. It was funny when on set, I was like, ‘Is there anything this guy can’t do?’ He’s an award-winning actor, he’s a DJ, his capsule clothing line for Superdry is about to hit stores. The guy broke the [British] land speed record which hasn’t been touched since like 1928. He’s sort of a living, breathing superhero.”

This is the second time Idris Elba broke a record in just a span of a few months. Last May, as Lanphear said, Elba broke the land speed record when he drove a Bentley Continental GT Speed at 180.361 mph. The record was previously set in 1928 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, as the Daily Mail reports.

For a time, there were rumors that Idris Elba would be the next James Bond. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal said that Idris should be the next James Bond, a role which currently belongs to Daniel Craig.

In the interview with Maxim, Idris spoke on the issue and debunked the rumors that he will be the next James Bond.

“I just don’t want to be called the first black James Bond. Do you understand what I’m saying? Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”

Idris Elba has appeared in television shows and movies and is best known for his roles on HBO’s The Wire, Thor, and Pacific Rim. He also won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series in 2012 for the BBC series Luther.

Now, Idris Elba will be playing a villain in Star Trek Beyond, which is slated to hit theaters sometime next year.

Read more about Idris Elba when Maxim‘s September issue hits stands on Wednesday.

[Photos by Ian Gavan / Getty Images / Maxim]