Idris Elba Says He Got Turned Off From Playing James Bond: It Became About Race And Nonsense

Idris Elba recently confirmed the speculations that he was turned off from playing the role of James Bond as the talk "became about race" during an appearance on the "Smartless" podcast.

Idris Elba Says He Got Turned Off From Playing James Bond

Source : @idriselba/instagram.

New Delhi: Idris Elba recently confirmed the speculations that he was turned off from playing the role of James Bond as the talk "became about race" during an appearance on the "Smartless" podcast.

Idris Elba, who appeared in Luther and The Wire, has been suggested as a popular 007 alternative for Daniel Craig. Elba was deemed "too street" by novelist Anthony Horowitz in 2015 for the part of James Bond.

Elba specifically stated on the Smartless podcast, which was hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, that any desire to portray the part was tainted due to certain "disgusting" reactions to the rumours.

The actor said, "The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba stated about Initially accepting the idea of playing Bond. “I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ James Bond…We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted [roles]. Being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Ok, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle’. That’s one of those things the whole world has a vote in.”

"Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered. Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race. It became about nonsense and I got the brunt of it," he added further.

Elba has been open about how he dislikes being referred to as a "Black actor." The actor revealed in February that he had stopped referring to himself as a "black actor" since it had become a barrier that had put restrictions on his career.

Speaking about it earlier, he had said, "as humans, we are obsessed with race and that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be.”