NEWSIdris Elba Wouldn't Want to Be Called 'The Black James Bond'
Sept. 30 2011, Published 11:05 a.m. ET
Don't get too excited, the rumors about Idris Elba being the next James Bond are, in fact, just rumors. But, the good news is Idris would consider the role — with conditions.
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"It's a rumor," Idris told NPR's Morning Edition (via CNN). "It's a very old rumor."
But that doesn't mean he hasn't thought about whether he'd take the role if the rumor came true.
"My dad and I were talking about this the other day. I would do it, but I don't want to be called the first black James Bond. Do you understand what I'm saying?" the Luther star asked. "Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond."
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Idris respects the roles he has taken, including The Wire's Stringer Bell. That character "was a smart drug dealer, in my opinion. He's black, but that's not the point. The point is, this is a man caught between two worlds. That complex sort of balance that he's in is what made the drama."
The English actor said he didn't come to the United States to "play black roles."
"I just came to play roles."
