With ‘F1,’ rising star Damson Idris enters Hollywood’s fast lane

By Lindsey Bahr

Damson Idris was trying to tune out the noise, but that’s a little difficult at a Formula One race. The British-Nigerian actor was in the zone, in character, filming the high-octane summer movie “F1” with Brad Pitt at some of the world’s most famous racetracks.

While Idris’ profile has been rising in recent years, after six seasons starring in the FX series “Snowfall,” there’s nothing like being next to globally famous Formula One drivers and a Hollywood megastar to put things into perspective.

He was pretty sure he was going to coast under the radar.

Then he started hearing not just his own name from fans in the crowd but “Franklin Saint,” too, the name of his drug kingpin character on “Snowfall.”

“It’s funny, because I see myself as a young actor who nobody knows,” Idris, 33, said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Revving up to the next level