Very few actors can say they have both swag and talent. Some either have one or the other, but to possess both is a natural born gift. One of the greatest actors to bless both the small and large screens lately is British born brotha, Idris Elba. Ladies have had him at the top of their lists of favorite actor’s for many years, after making a name for himself on HBO’s hit series, The Wire. However, he hasn’t always received a ton of love from everyone, especially when his name came up for consideration of the coveted role of Agent 007, James Bond. Most of the hate came from the fact that Bond has always been played by White actors.
The People’s Choice
Although there were never any definite plans to have Elba portray the martini drinking, lady lovin,’ smooth spy, “James Bond” the idea intrigued many people. Fans immediately took to Twitter to express their excitement, ready for a change to the standard White dude always playing the world’s greatest spy and instead yearning to see a Black man fill that spot.
https://twitter.com/iPaint_Fast/status/1027754236174639106
Here's a thought: #Idris as the next #jamesbond
— JUDI BLAIR ™ (@IamJudiBlair) December 25, 2013
The name’s #Elba, #Idris Elba – and he must be #JamesBond https://t.co/wfvm8Xq81C YES!
— Dan-Liviu Popa (@danucky) May 20, 2016
Unfortunately, not everyone was on board with Elba becoming the first Black “Bond,” and one of those people was current “James Bond” author, Anthony Horowitz. In an interview with Time, he expressed his thoughts on Elba being “007”:
“For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a color issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond,” said Horowitz.
Horowitz has since apologized for his comments, but at this point the damage is done. Elba definitely caught wind of the shade and now has his own thoughts about the “Bond” issue.
