British actor and filmmaker Idris Elba has expressed his disinterest in the James Bond role.
He disclosed this in a recent interview on the Smartless podcast.
Elba stated that he had once aspired to portray the iconic character. But he changed his mind when the discussions surrounding it became focused on racism.
During the podcast, which is hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Elba shared his perspective on the rumours and the unfortunate issue of racism associated with the role.
In his words, “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.”
‘Position of James Bond currently on hold‘
Idris Elba’s name has been part of the James Bond conversation for quite some time, even before Daniel Craig’s last Bond film.
In a leaked 2014 email, Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal expressed her belief that “Idris should be the next Bond.”
Barbara Broccoli, one of the lead producers of the franchise, confirmed in a 2022 interview that Elba had been discussed as a potential candidate for the role.
“Well, we know Idris, I’m friends with him, and he’s a magnificent actor,” she said. “It’s been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat.”
The position of James Bond is currently on hold as the filmmakers aim to reimagine the character and the film series.
According to Barbara Broccoli, there is no script yet as they need to determine the approach for the next film, which involves reinventing Bond. This process takes time.
The producer mentioned that filming for the next Bond film is at least two years away, indicating a significant wait.
Throughout the history of the franchise, James Bond has been portrayed by iconic actors such as Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and most recently, Daniel Craig.