Idris Elba “Disheartened” By The Bond Casting Backlash Due To His Race

One of the most talked about topics in Hollywood is that of who will take over the role of MI6 agent 007 James Bond once Daniel Craig calls it quits. Many believe that the upcoming Bond 25 will be the last one for Craig, marking his fifth appearance on screen as the iconic British spy. As soon as the speculation began, one actor has always found his name to be placed at the top of the list by a number of online fans: Idris Elba.

While the star of the BBC series Luthor and the MCU’s Thor trilogy has never officially thrown his name into the hat, the actor has expressed he is bothered by the racial references that arise by critics when his name is mentioned. Some have stated that he is unable to play the suave secret agent because he is black. Elba opens up about his feelings on the situation in the upcoming August issue of Vanity Fair:

You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, ‘It can’t be.’ And it really turns out to be the color of my skin. And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to.”

Related – Has Bond 25’s Old Title Been Leaked?

Elba went on to say that he has never been asked to portray the character nor has he considered seeking out the role. However, he also admits that if offered, he would not turn it down.

“James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character, that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey. Of course, if someone said to me ‘Do you want to play James Bond?,’ I’d be like, Yeah! That’s fascinating to me. But it’s not something I’ve expressed, like, yeah, I wanna be the black James Bond.”

In this writer’s opinion, it takes a remarkably high level of ignorance to claim that Idris Elba is not suave or charismatic enough to play James Bond. The man literally radiates both wherever he roams. The London-born-and-raised-actor is more than qualified to play the iconic character on the big screen. As much of a fan as I am of Daniel Craig–Casino Royale is still my favorite Bond film–I would fully support Elba donning the suit and Walther PPK.

How do you feel about the backlash against Elba? Leave your comments below!

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Source: Deadline.

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