Popular British actor Idris Elba has revealed why he decided against playing the iconic role of James Bond, also known as 007.
During an interview on the SmartLess podcast, Elba explained that discussions about his race played a significant role in his decision.
Elba expressed that being considered for the role of James Bond was a great honor to him. He acknowledged that it was a coveted role that actors aspire to. However, the talks surrounding his race turned him off from pursuing the opportunity.
“I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said.
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“I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ James Bond… We’re all actors, and we understand that role.”
“While most of the world was thrilled by the idea of Elba playing James Bond, he mentioned that there were some corners where the reception was not positive. This negative response made the whole situation “disgusting and off-putting” for him.
Elba stated, “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.“