He’s concerned about the attitudes of the older generation
Idris Elba has spoken about issues he may face should he land the role of James Bond.
The Luther actor revealed why he would feel the pressure if his rumoured appointment materialised – and it’s to do with the colour of his skin.
“James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character, that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey, Elba told Vanity Fair. “Of course, if someone said to me, ‘Do you want to play James Bond?’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah!’ That’s fascinating to me.’
Idris Elba
“But it’s not something I’ve expressed, like, ‘Yeah, I wanna be the black James Bond’. You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, ‘It can’t be’. And it really turns out to be the colour of my skin.”
He continued: “Then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the colour of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to.”
Elba has teased the potential role before. Last August, he Tweeted: “My name’s Elba, Idris Elba”, a play on James Bond’s infamous catchphrase: “The name’s Bond… James Bond.”
Daniel Craig and Idris Elba
But later that month he confirmed that he’s not going to be the next James Bond.
Daniel Craig, the incumbent Bond, is currently filming Bond 25 in Jamaica. It will be his final Bond role.
