We recently learned from fan-favorite Idris Elba that he was never up to play the new James Bond for “Bond 26” (before or after Denis Villeneuve‘s involvement) after decades of rumors he was on some short-list or had auditioned, which was a little disappointing, and he has been vocal in interviews about his apprehensiveness toward tackling the part and not wanting to be known as the “black Bond” (Drew Barrymore of all people made a good case for him to do it, see that video below). He’s now giving his two cents on how they should handle a modern Bond film, and doesn’t want a “woke” version.
Speaking with British GQ Magazine (via Variety), the “Masters of the Universe” actor revealed his thoughts and advice on how they should pursue the new movie by avoiding casting a black male actor, as British culture likely couldn’t handle a change like that to the franchise.
“I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing. James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it. And also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period…Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try, and make it woke,” Elba continued. “I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try, and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”
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As much as we sympathize with Elba’s personal stance on not wanting to play James Bond and becoming a new lightning rod for online backlash, something he has already experienced with his fantasy roles in Marvel‘s “Thor” movies (playing an alien version of Norse god Heimdall and ruffled a lot of feathers with bigoted fans, that ire was recycled when Tessa Thompson was enlisted for Valkryie) and more recently taking on the Man-At-Arms part in the “Masters of the Universe” remake (another alien character traditional portrayed as white). It’s not entirely difficult to envision in a modern world espionage, Bond could be non-white (these are fictional characters), and the fanbase being more open-minded (we’ve heard and seen MANY fans a lot more open to diverse casting than they were 10 years ago) when it comes to new casting for the franchise.
Let’s not forget that “No Time To Die” features Nomi, a black female 007 played by Lashana Lynch, who was at odds with Bond at the start of the movie and was one of the more neat additions to that uneven final film for Daniel Craig.
In recent years, we’ve seen James Bond fans push for diverse casting, such as fan-casting folks like Henry Golding, Daniel Kaluuya (who has taken himself out of the running), Dev Patel, Riz Ahmed (his new series “Bait” has him auditioning to play 007 as a plot point), and Rege-Jean Page. While traditionalists might ultimately get their way (Tom Francis being the first actor to audition) with Amazon MGM Studios (distributor of “Masters of the Universe”) overseeing the franchise now after buying out EON, completely ruling out the idea of a non-white 007 feels a little backward. Also, this whole “anti-woke” take feels more like trying to avoid bigoted attacks altogether (something that has led to massive harassment campaigns that most actors want to not welcome into their lives), which are from a vocal minority online, and the general audience ultimately embraces changes, not keyboard bullies.
Then again, in all fairness to Elba’s perspective on casting Francis, Jacob Elordi, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, and Cosmo Jarvis are certainly not exactly the diverse group of would-be candidates you’d hope to see and feel like a choice to give audiences a traditional white actor for the part. Anywho, you can watch Barrymore plead her case to Elba while the two appeared on the podcast, “The Shop.” Even though Elba has removed himself from the running, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that he ends up playing the new version of Bond’s C.I.A. Agent liaison, Felix Leiter, previously played by Oscar-winner Jeffrey Wright.
- Christopher Marc
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