At this point, James Bond rumors about Idris Elba have been circulating for years. While these used to be an honor for him, Elba recently said that the racist reaction against the idea kept him from ever going ahead with it.
At this point, James Bond rumors about Idris Elba have been circulating for years. While these used to be an honor for him, Elba recently said that the racist reaction against the idea kept him from ever going ahead with it.
Elba initially felt the rumors as a great honor
Speaking during a recent interview on the SmartLess PodcastElba commented briefly on the rumours. He said when he first heard it it was a huge compliment for the actor.
“The truth is, I’ve had super praise for it for a long time,” Elba said (via diversity). “I thought, ‘This is crazy!’ James Bond… We are all actors and we understand this role. It’s one of those coveted (rolls). When they asked me if I wanted to play James Bond, I was like, “Okay, you kind of hit the pinnacle.” It’s one of those things that the whole world can vote on.”
However, Elba said that while most parts of the world were excited about the idea, “some corners” weren’t, and that it ended up making “the whole thing gross and repulsive” for the actor.
“Basically it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except some corners we won’t talk about was really happy with the idea that I could be considered,” added Elba. “Those who weren’t happy with the idea found the whole thing abhorrent and repulsive because it was about race. It was nonsense and I took the brunt of it.”
Whoever ends up playing Bond will have big shoes to fill, but fans probably won’t see a movie for some time.
“There’s no script, and we can’t think of one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because it’s really a Bond reinvention,” said longtime James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli last year . “We’re reinventing it, and that takes time. I would say that filming will take at least another two years.”