People really want Idris Elba to play James Bond. We’ve told you this time and time and time again. But the actor has said that’s not happening, but we never really knew why not. Now, the author of the Bond novels, Anthony Horowitz, is saying that it won’t happen because Elba is “too street” to pull off the role.
According to the Daily Mail, Horowitz, who penned the Bond Novel Trigger Mortis (whose audiobook will ironically be voiced by Black actor David Oyelowo), said it’s not an issue of Black or white, but a matter of skill.
‘Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better.’
He names Adrian Lester, star of Hustle.
‘For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too “street” for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.’
Elba’s vast roles include The Office, BBC’s Luther, The Wire, Long Walk to Freedom (he played Nelson freakin’ Mandela, for Pete’s sake!), and the new Star Trek (there’s no streets in space, fam), so what makes him so unqualified to play Bond, James Bond?
For Horowitz to say it’s not a matter of race is silly. We all know what the coded words “too street” mean one thing– too black. And let’s say that he was too street (whatever that really means). Isn’t the point of being an actor to show your range and have the ability to transform into any role?
And no shade to Lester, who Horowitz thinks should play the first black Bond, but no. (For those who need a face with the name, Lester played Ellis on
Girlfriends.) Elba embodies all the suave and debonair that a Bond could offer. He has become the
only man to cover Maxim, a magazine who exclusively adorns the glossy with the sexiest women in the world. How’s
that for suave?
UPDATE: Via Twitter, Horowitz has apologized.
