Why I lost interest in playing James Bond role – Idris Elba (Video)

Idris Elba, a well-known British actor, has admitted that he was considering taking on the role of James Bond, the protagonist of the same-named British fictional franchise, “until it became about racism.”

The 50-year-old actor made this revelation while appearing as a guest on the most recent Smartless podcast, which Jason Bateman, Sean Haves, and Will Arnett co-host.

He said that he found the rumors that he would be playing the part thrilling.

Elba said, “The truth is, I was super complemented for a long time about this [playing the James Bond role]. I was like, ‘This is crazy! James Bond?’

“We are 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.’ That is one of those things the whole world has a vote in.

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 because it became about race.”

See video below;

IDRIS ELBA WANTED TO PLAY JAMES BOND UNTIL 'IT BECAME ABOUT RACE': After the actor explained why he lost interest in the idea of playing James Bond, #TheView co-hosts weigh in. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/BfOcK08DON

— The View (@TheView) June 30, 2023