Idris Elba was neither shaken nor stirred by the rumours he’d be the new James Bond – according to the actor, the speculation “was never realistic” due to his race.
The Luther star’s name was thrown in the mix when Daniel Craig announced he’d step down after playing the spy one final time in 2021’s No Time to Die, but Elba, 53, has revealed he never viewed himself as a “legit” option due to the character always being played by white men.
“I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing,” he told GQ. “James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it.”
He added that, if he had been cast in the role, long-time fans of the franchise might not have liked the decision.
“I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
On whether a Black actor should be cast in the role, Elba doesn’t think is vital, stating: “Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke. 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, whose credits also include the TV dramas The Wire and Hijack, previously ruled himself out of the running in 2023, saying he would never have accepted the opportunity as it “became about race”.
Appearing on the SmartLess podcast, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Elba described the offer to play the role as “the pinnacle”, but added: “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.”
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The respected British casting director Nina Gold and the forthcoming Bond film’s director, Denis Villeneuve, are currently auditioning actors to play the title, five years after Craig concluded his tenure as 007.
The actors considered frontrunners to play Bond, now that Amazon has taken ownership of the franchise, include Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson, Jack Lowden and Louis Partridge.