Idris Elba was touted as the next James Bond after Daniel Craig. Many, including Tom Hanks, saw the British actor as the rightful heir. But according to recent developments, Elba doesn’t want to play the spy with the license to kill anymore. And Hollywood’s institutional racism is to blame for it.

Idris Elba isn’t the first black actor in Hollywood to experience racism. But with the prospect of him essaying James Bond, the racist backlash got too out of hand. Ultimately, for the sake of his sanity, he decided not to do it anymore. Once again, meritocracy was pushed aside for the ugly obsession with race.

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Idris Elba Leaves Behind The Idea Of Playing James Bond

Idris Elba spoke at length about his reasons for turning down James Bond during his appearance on the podcast ‘Smartless.’ He told the hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes he was initially “super complimented” about the possibility of actually getting the role. And that’s when the racist nonsense surfaced. 

The British actor’s answer didn’t come as a surprise. He told the hosts, “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,” 

The ‘Luther’ actor 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.”

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Idris Elba’s Views On Racism And Representation In Hollywood 

During his Esquire interview, Idris Elba talked about the mistreatment he’s received based on his race. He told the magazine he refuses to be out under the label of ‘black actor.’ Elba said he didn’t get into acting to be a trailblazer for his community. The only reason he wanted to act was because he enjoyed doing it. 

Idris Elba shared his disgust with race being a factor, telling Esquire, “As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. 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. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: It’s just skin.”

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