Idris Elba Explains Why He Removed Himself From the James Bond Casting Conversation

Over the past several years Idris Elba has been a hot topic of conversation when it comes to the cast of James Bond. It’s something that a lot of fans would have loved to see, but as time passed and the actor got older, it was becoming less and less likely that it would happen. That’s not why he stopped talking about it, though.

During a recent interview with SmartLess, Elba explained why he eventually removed himself from the James Bond casting conversation saying it stopped being fun when it became about race:

"The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this. I was like, 'This is crazy! James Bond?' We're all actors, and we understand that role. It's one of those coveted [parts]. 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.

"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. 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 producers behind the James Bond franchise are currently on the hunt for a new 007, but they are going for a younger actor, someone that will be able to grow into the character over the next several years. There’s a probably with that, though… none of the younger actors have what it takes to play Bond!

Producer Michael G. Wilson has said that they are looking for a “thirty-something” actor to fill the role of Bond. Before they cast Daniel Craig in the role, they were looking to go younger, but that didn’t work out. Longtime casting director for the Bond franchise, Debbie McWilliams, explained why younger actors don’t really work for James Bond. When they were looking at younger actors she said that they lacked the gravitas and mental capacity of the character. She said:

“When we started, it was a slightly different feel. We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don’t think they had the gravitas. They didn’t have the experience, they didn’t have the mental capacity to take it on, because it’s not just the part they’re taking on, it’s a massive responsibility. So we kind of scrubbed that idea and went back to the drawing board and started again.”

They’ll eventually find an actor to play Bond and it will be interesting to see who that will be. It most likely won’t be Elba, but Tom Hanks thinks it should be! Hanks previously made it clear that the next James Bond should be Elba, saying: “Understand this. James Bond has a license to kill. I would issue that license to Idris Elba just based on the work that I’ve seen him do.”

Hell yeah!