Idris Elba Opens Up About New Girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre and 'Falling in Love While Making a Movie About Falling in Love'

"Falling in love while making a movie about falling in love is pretty special," the actor tells PEOPLE

By
Mike Miller
Mike Miller
Mike Miller is a former writer and reporter at PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2018.
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Published on September 28, 2017 03:21PM EDT

Life imitated art for Idris Elba during the making of his new movie The Mountain Between Us.

The movie tells the story of man and a woman, played by Kate Winslet, who get stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash and fall for each other as they struggle to survive.

While Elba was never actually lost on the side of a mountain, he did end up falling in love during the film’s production. The dashing Brit shot the film in Canada, and ended up catching the eye of former Miss Vancouver, Sabrina Dhowre.

“Falling in love while making a movie about falling in love is pretty special,” the actor told PEOPLE’s Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle in the latest episode ofThe Jess Cagle Interview.

RELATED: Kate Winslet On Filming ‘The Mountain Between Us’: ‘If There Is An Avalanche Where Am I Running To’

Elba and Dhowre stepped out together at the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The 29-year-old model of Somali descent won the Miss Vancouver pageant in 2014. The duo made their first public appearance earlier in the festival at the premiere of Molly’s Game.

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“It definitely got noticed because I try to keep my personal life different,” the notoriously private Elba said of the attention he and his date garnered.

2017 Toronto International Film Festival - "The Mountain Between Us" Premiere - Arrivals
Rich Fury/Getty

“I think it’s an interesting space, especially for her,” he added. “She’d never done a red carpet before and I tend not to do that. It was nice actually.”

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Elba was previously in a relationship with Naiyana Garth and she gave birth to their son Winston in 2014. The actor was also married makeup artist Hanne Norgaard from 1999 to 2003 and lawyer Sonya Hamlin for six months in 2006. Elba and Norgaard share a daughter, Isan, who is 15.

The Mountain Between Us hits theaters Oct. 6.