For years, Hollywood’s rumor mill has had Idris Elba on the short list to be the next James Bond. In a wide-ranging interview with British GQ, the 53-year-old literally rolled his eyes when asked about those rumors before debunking them. “It was never legit,” he says. Elba says he was flattered by the speculation, but says it would not have worked for one main reason: race.
- “Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
Elba also hopes the next iteration of Bond, whoever it may be, doesn’t change the formula too much. “Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke. I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.” For the record, auditions have begun for the next 007, and Variety has Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as among the contenders.
