Idris Elba never imagined a ‘realistic’ world where a black actor could be cast as James Bond
Idris Elba believes “it’s not a realistic thing” for a black actor to play James Bond.
“James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it,” Elba said in a new interview with British GQ about the speculation around him playing the next 007, which he called “never legit” and “always just a rumor.”
“And also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that,” Elba, 53, continued.
The “Masters of the Universe” star insisted that since the Bond franchise is “big all over the world,” audiences won’t want to watch a black man in the iconic role.
“That’s not what they like in their culture,” he added. “Period.”
Elba also argued that making a big change to the James Bond character isn’t necessary.
“Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke,” he explained. “I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”
Elba was more open to the idea of playing James Bond when the casting speculation began back in 2015.
“If human beings want to know if there’s any connectivity between all of us, the one thing I’ve heard around the world universally is that, ‘You’ll be great at James Bond,’” he told Variety at the time.
Elba added, “If it should happen, that’s proof there’s connectivity amongst human beings. If everyone wants something, they can make it happen.”
Come 2023, Elba said on the “SmartLess” podcast that while he was “super complimented” by the Bond rumors, he got a bad taste in his mouth because of the racial backlash he received over the possible role.
“Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race,” he explained.
“It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it.”
Daniel Craig was the latest actor to play James Bond, having retired from the franchise after 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan all played Bond before that.
Amazon took over control of the Bond franchise from longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson last year and is now searching for the right person to star in the next 007 movie, which will be helmed by “Dune: Part Three” director Denis Villeneuve.
Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Henry Cavill, Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner and Theo James are among the rumored actors to take over the role.
