Idris Elba Blames Racism For Lack Of James Bond Interest

Idris Elba has zero interest in playing James Bond, and he pins the reason on racist fans.

Elba is one of the most popular actors in the world, and his name has long been rumored to be near the top of the list for the next man to play James Bond.

It would be a very solid casting choice. He has major name recognition, is incredibly talented and definitely has the chops to play 007.

Idris Elba rules out being James Bond.

However, the English actor doesn't even want to be considered, and the reason why is simple:

Racism.

Elba said the following on the "Smartless" podcast when discussing the subject, according to Variety:

The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this. I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ James Bond…We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted . 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. 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.

These comments are a bit over the top from Elba.

Obviously, there's never been a black James Bond. In fact, all James Bond actors have been white, which is in-line with Ian Fleming's writings. Remember, Bond comes from English nobility and is white in the source material.

However, the overwhelming majority of fans wouldn't care at all if Idris Elba was cast as 007. Now, casting a woman is a very different story as it's hard to justify a woman playing someone whose name is James.

Having a black man play James Bond wouldn't be an issue at all for most people, especially if it was Idris Elba. Yet, he paints a picture about the "disgusting and off-putting" reaction he received because it "became about race."

Was there any credible or noteworthy person arguing against Idris Elba being 007 because he's black? I believe the answer is no. If there was, let me know because I can't find any proof.

Idris Elba should ignore the trolls.

There will always be online trolls who will attack for any reason. They're sad little people who live sad little lives. Yet, they don't have any power. The trolls can't impact anything.

Elba, who by all accounts is a very smart guy, letting the trolls turn him off to being James Bond is really disappointing. I never would have expected that from a man who has played so many great roles.

Feel free to say you don't want to be James Bond. Maybe he just doesn't like the role, but pinning it on an insanely small fringe minority and racism is just not a great reason. By doing so, you let the trolls win. That's not an outcome anyone wants.