Michael Cera and Hannah Waddingham also shared memories during the “I Am an Actor” segment to begin this year’s ceremony.

Idris Elba at the 2024 SAG Awards Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Idris Elba was among the performers helping to kick off the 2024 SAG Awards ceremony on Saturday with the “I Am an Actor” segment, during which he opened up about sneaking into Robert De Niro‘s offices as an aspiring actor.

“When I was just starting out in this business — I was 19 years old — I scammed my way up to Robert De Niro’s office in Tribeca,” Elba said of the legendary actor, who was nominated at the event for his role in Killers of the Flower Moon. Elba, who himself is a two-time SAG Award winner, explained that auditions had begun that week for the 1993 movie A Bronx Tale that De Niro directed. Elba said he was somehow able to use his “English charm” to convince both the security guard and receptionist that he had an appointment, even though he had not actually been invited to audition.

“And that’s how I ended up in A Bronx Tale,” Elba said. He then clarified, “No, I’m lying. I wasn’t in A Bronx Tale. I got kicked out of the office by Robert De Niro’s producing partner at the time, a gesture that I took to mean, ‘Kid, you’re going to go places.’”

Also sharing memories during the segment were Barbie standout Michael Cera, who reminisced about bonding with grown-up co-stars as a child actor, and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham, who recalled finding a mouse carcass in her Spamalot dress after having unknowingly performed multiple shows on London’s West End with the uninvited animal in her costume.

Oppenheimer and The Bear were the top winners at this year’s ceremony, nabbing three trophies apiece. Click here for the complete winners list from the 2024 SAG Awards, while the most memorable looks from the red carpet can be seen here.

The 2024 SAG Awards streamed live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.