Idris Elba Opens Up About the Moment He Became Disenchanted With Being James Bond

Idris Elba has revealed why he isn’t so fussed about being James Bond anymore.

During an interview with the Smartless podcast, the British actor revealed why he cooled to the notion of suiting up as the iconic superspy, James Bond.

“Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except from 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.”

The former Luther star has long been tipped for the role of 007. However, he recently gave a flatout “no” when asked if he would be playing James Bond.

“The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” he said. “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.”

Famously, 007 producer Barbara Broccoli admitted that she thinks “it is time” for a non-white Bond.

Unfortunately, it’s exactly this kind of talk that’s put Elba off the idea of playing Bond himself.

“As humans, we are obsessed with race and that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth,” he told Esquire. “Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be.”

He then explained why he’s stopped referring to himself as a ‘Black actor’.

“I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realized it put me in a box,” he said. “We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin. Rant over.”

It’s just as well – Bond producers are reportedly looking for someone younger to play 007 this time around. Meanwhile, the Luther star thinks that the BBC drama could spawn its own Bond-style franchise.

“My ambition for it is to have that sort of scale, that reverence,” he explained. “I want people to be like: ‘Ooh! Luther, the first film? Wicked.’ And to continue that. And then maybe later down the line, when I’m too old, someone else will step in to play John.”

Want to read more about Bond? Check out how to watch all the James Bond movies in order and find out how close Henry Cavill came to being 007.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.