You might recall that Idris Elba was often mentioned in online speculation over the years. He’s definitely my pick — he’s got the acting chops, the good looks, and even the British accent!
But it looks as if the actor is no longer interested in playing 007. On the latest episode of Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes’s SmartLess podcast, Idris explained his change of heart.
The 50-year-old was initially “super complimented” about the fan casting. “I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ Because 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, ‘Okay, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle.'”
He acknowledged that the international popularity of the character meant it was “one of those things the whole world has a vote in.” But the racist backlash that followed turned him off of the idea.
“Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world — except for 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,” he said.
“It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it,” he concluded.
You can listen to the episode of the SmartLess podcast here.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/morgansloss1/idris-elba-james-bond-racist-backlash