Idris Elba plays a ruthless warlord who enlists child soldiers in an unidentified African country in "Beasts of No Nation."

But while on set of the drama, the lines between the actor and character became blurred for some extras who were instructed to "be in the moment all the time," Elba revealed Monday to Seth Meyers on "Late Night."

Even when the cameras weren't rolling, they treated him like a military commander.

“I'd walk onto the set. I'd be groggy-eyed at seven in the morning and they'd be like 'commandant, commandant,'" he explained, while saluting, "and after a while I got used to it."

The film is already getting Elba Oscar-buzz, and plenty of people will have the opportunity to see it, as it's the first feature film on Netflix that will be released simultaneously in theaters.

"You need to see it in the [theater] to really appreciate it," Elba said, "but I love the fact that it's available on the same day to 60 million people. It's great for the future, the films that have a more difficult subject can still see a big audience."

The Cary Fukunaga-directed drama, which was featured part of the Venice Film Festival, will only be airing on 29 big screens on its Oct. 16 release date, along with a release on Netflix that same day.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/852963#i1,p0,d1