Why I Lost Interest In Playing James Bond – Idris Elba
Idris Elba has claimed that he was considering taking on the role of James Bond, the protagonist of the British fictional franchise of the same name when the concept first surfaced.
However, he claimed that as “it became about racism,” his interest in the role started to wane. During a discussion on the Smartless podcast, which Jason Bateman, Sean Haves, and Will Arnett co-host, Idris made this revelation and said that hearing that he might play the part excited him.
Elba said; “The truth is, I was super complimented 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.”
James Bond, a fictitious British Secret Service agent who first appeared in twelve novels and two collections of short stories by author Ian Fleming, is the main character of the James Bond series. Since Fleming’s passing in 1964, eight additional writers—Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz—have produced officially sanctioned Bond novels or novelizations.
The most recent book is Anthony Horowitz’s With a Mind to Kill, which was released in May 2022. In addition, Kate Westbrook authored three novels based on the journals of Moneypenny, a recurring character in the series, while Charlie Higson wrote a trilogy about a young James Bond.
Elba’s earliest acting roles were in Crimewatch murder reconstructions, and in 1994 he had an appearance in The Boot Street Band, a BBC children’s drama. He received his first important part in 1995 on the medical drama series Bramwell, which was set in 1890s England.
He portrayed Charlie Carter, an African petty criminal who lost his wife to delivery and had to figure out how to sustain his young daughter, as the main character in an episode of Season 1. On the “Sex” episode of Absolutely Fabulous, he was cast as a gigolo, giving him his first known appearance earlier in 1995.
Elba agreed to star as Monty, a blue-collar mechanic who falls in love with the lawyer who is assisting him in getting custody of his children, in the movie Daddy’s Little Girls in 2007. However, the romance and his chances of getting custody are jeopardized when his ex-wife returns.
He was a part of the 2007 motion pictures This Christmas (2007) and 28 Weeks Later (2007), which collectively earned close to $50 million at the box office. He appeared in the Guy Ritchie London gangster movie RocknRolla and the horror movie Prom Night both in 2008. He appeared in Obsessed, a thriller with Beyoncé, and the horror movie The Unborn in 2009. The latter had a profitable first weekend, earning $29 million.
