Idris Elba Was Dismayed By ‘Disgusting And Off-Putting’ Reactions To James Bond Casting Rumours: ‘It Became About Race’

etcanada.com:

Idris Elba has complicated feelings about all those James Bond casting rumours. The “Hijack” star was on the the latest episode of Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes podcast “Smartless”, and he opened up long-running calls for him to play the iconic spy. READ MORE: Idris Elba Tries A Canadian Accent: ‘Oh Yaaa.

Canadian Eh?’ Elba said that he was “super complimented” he rumours that he might be the next Bond began spreading. “We’re all actors and we understand that that role is one of those sort of coveted types.

It’s like being named Sexiest Man [Alive],” she said, referring to his earning the People magazine title in 2018. “But being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Okay, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle,'” he continued. READ MORE: ‘Hijack’ Star Idris Elba Admits He’d Be Too Busy ‘Sleeping’ To Rescue Anyone In A Real-Life Hijacking Scenario “Essentially, 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,” Elba added. “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.” As yet, casting is still ongoing for the actor who will pick up the mantle from Daniel Craig, whole delivered his final performance as Bond in 2021’s “No Time to Die”.