Idris Elba Says Kate Winslet Was Tougher Than Him When Filming The Mountain Between Us in Subzero Temperatures

 

Idris Elba has played his fair share of tough characters over the course of his career, but as he admitted to PEOPLE, there’s one thing even he can’t handle: freezing temperatures.

PEOPLE’s Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle in the latest episode of The Jess Cagle Interview sat down with handsome Brit, 45, to discuss his new film The Mountain Between Us opposite Kate Winslet.

In the adventure film, the two play plane-crash survivors in the snowy Utah mountain range, which required a lot of actual time in the snow, especially since director Hany Abu-Assad refused to use any green screen.

“He said, ‘I want to put you guys through the test as actors,'” explained Elba. While filming near Calgary, the cast and crew took a helicopter up to the precipice, at 10,000 feet and often filmed in -38° degrees.

Watch the full episode of The Jess Cagle Interview with Idris Elba on the People/Entertainment Weekly Network! Download the PEN app on your favorite device or go to PEOPLE.com/PEN.

“The snow was up to our waists.. . . It was tough,” he said.

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

 

So who was a bigger baby about being stuck in the snow?

For more on Elba pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE on stands now.

“I don’t do the cold!” Elba said, adding. “Kate is quite an outdoorsy person. She had these gloves that had a button you’d press and they’d heat up. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?'”

The Mountain Between Us hits theaters Oct. 6.