Idris Elba was once excited about the prospect of playing James Bond in the 007 franchise—but the Luther actor told the hosts of the SmartLess podcast recently that the racism he experienced in response to the idea “made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting.”
“The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said, as rumors about him playing the part spread. “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.”
Sadly, comments from “some corners” of the world changed his feelings about the role. “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,” the Beast actor said.