Emmy-nominated Idris Elba is at the top of his game now.
He made a splash in the summer blockbuster “Thor,” scored a lead in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming “Pacific Rim” and is the new face of Smart Water.
But, it’s his role as John Luther — a brilliant but troubled detective — on BBC America’s “Luther,” that’s inspired a cult-like following, not to mention that Emmy nod.
Part of the character’s appeal is that Luther isn’t just a run-of-the-mill cop. He’s got an affinity for those on the criminal side, which translates to an intuitive knack for crime-solving — the more heinous, the better.
In its second season — the first of four episodes premiered last Wednesday — Luther is tasked with tracking down a mask-wearing killer inspired by 19th century horror stories, whose grand finale is a busload of school kids.
At one point in the chase, Luther’s tormented by having to watch a murder on close-circuit television — in real time — powerless to stop it.
It’s moments like these that leave British actor Elba, 39, exhausted.
“Some of the really high-explosive anger and emotion scenes are tough and draining for me,” he tells The Post.
At the same time, it’s this kind of nail-biter stuff that makes “Luther” such a great vehicle for Elba, who calls the role “a gift of a part.”
Although Luther has a new girl in his life — a young prostitute he’s trying to extract from the streets — the series hasn’t abandoned last season’s deadly game of cat and mouse with fan favorite Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson).
Alice, a psychopath who cleverly murdered her family without leaving a speck of evidence, slowly became Luther’s scary soulmate, and he’s still tied to her now, even though she’s locked away in a mental hospital.
The mutual attraction between Luther and Morgan might seem like love a la Manson, but Elba sees it differently.
“I think it’s intellectual foreplay,” Elba says.
“Luther is designed to be a really intelligent man who is actually quite bored by figuring out who done it. How he catches them is more appealing.
“So, he rationalizes it by saying, ‘This person is really smart. I might learn a thing or two about her, her kind and why she did it.’ And so he plays all these really interesting mind games with her.”
Luther, as it turns out, is a welcome relief from the role that most Americans recognize Elba for — the shady drug dealer Russell “Stringer” Bell on HBO’s “The Wire.”
As Stringer, Elba played a smart and ruthless drug boss who shuffled effortlessly between the “hoppers” — the young dealers under his command in rough and deadly Baltimore — and real-estate developers who sought his favor (and his drug money) in the local business community.
In a 2009 article, Elba recalled how the death of his character in “The Wire” made him happy.
“I celebrate the fact that he dies,” he said. “I have a problem with the glorification of a drug dealer, and America is fascinated with that world.
“I never want to play anything like Stringer Bell ever again,” he said.
Given Elba’s success with troubled, conflicted characters like Stringer and Luther, that may not be possible.
“Most people in life, whether they want to admit it or not, have a dark side — a side they don’t let anyone else see,” he now says.
“I think it’s healthy for people to co-exist in both worlds, just not if it’s detrimental to your or anyone else’s health.
“So, for me as an actor, when I get to do these roles that span that range, it’s such a joy.”