Idris Elba says racist backlash turned him off from playing James Bond

Idris Elba has been the subject of James Bond rumours for many years, but the actor recently admitted that the racist reaction to the possibility of a Black James Bond turned him off of the whole idea.

While speaking on the SmartLess podcast, Idris Elba said that he was “super complimented” by those who wanted him to play James Bond. “I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ James Bond…We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted [roles]. Being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Ok, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle’. That’s one of those things the whole world has a vote in,” Elba explained. “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. 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.“

I still think that Idris Elba would have made a great James Bond, but the actor took himself out of the running nearly seven years ago when he said that he was too old for the role. “I keep saying if it were to happen it would be the will of a nation because there hasn’t been any talks between me and the studio about any of that,” Elba said in 2016. “But everywhere I go people want that to happen, so…but if I’m really honest man, I think I’m too old for that man, running around in cars and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that? Sounds terrible.”

At 50 years old, Elba sadly isn’t the “thirty-something” actor the producers are looking for. “We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn’t work,” James Bond franchise producer Michael G. Wilson said last year. “Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a thirty-something.“

Barbara Broccoli is a fan of Idris Elba, but she assumed last year that the actor likely wouldn’t be interested in a long commitment. “We love Idris,” Broccoli told Variety. “The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10-, 12-year commitment. So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing?’ Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it].“