Idris Elba has revealed being mentioned as a possible actor in the James Bond role has always been an honour to him, but talks about his race has turned him off from ever doing it.
During a recent interview on the SmartLess podcast, Elba briefly spoke about the rumours that he could one day play the James Bond role. He said that when he first heard them, it was a huge compliment for the actor.
“Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered,” Elba 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.”
Whoever does end up playing Bond will have big shoes to fill, but fans won’t likely see a movie for some time.
“There isn’t a script, and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond,” said longtime James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli last year. “We’re reinventing who he is, and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
