After years of rumours, British actor Sir Idris Elba has finally addressed the buzz around his potential casting as the most famous spy in the world, James Bond.
With Daniel Craig officially stepping down from the role, multiple actors have been rumoured to be the potential recipients of the heavy baton, with Elba topping the list for years.
The actor, however, doesn’t seem to be so positive about it.
“Not a realistic thing”
“I’ve always felt that [the role] is not a realistic thing,” Elba told GQ.
“James Bond was written how he was written for a reason but, I was complimented by it,” he added.
“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 go for a black male, an African male, playing Bond.
That’s not what they like in their culture. Period,” the actor explained.
Specifically, Sir Idris believes that casting a Black actor to play James Bond, a canonically white character, could feed into a different rhetoric, one that he defines as ‘woke’.
“Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke,” he stated.
“I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try to answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”
READ MORE: TV news: Euphoria reaches its ‘shocking’ finale
Looking for the new Bond
It has been five years since the release of ‘No Time to Die’, Craig’s last performance as the MI6 secret agent.
Since then, there has been fierce speculation around the new possible casting choices for the role.
“My name’s not getting thrown out, no way,” Elba previously said.
“They’re going younger and I wish them all the luck in the world. I can’t wait, it’s going to be amazing.”
“I’m honestly not in the race ever,” the actor made it clear.
“I wasn’t in the race in the first place.”
Back in February, Amazon finally announced that the casting process had started, with different actors auditioning for the part.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harris Dickinson and the now ‘Mr. Dua Lipa’ Callum Turner were among the most popular names.
Australian actor Jacob Elordi, of ‘Euphoria’ fame, was also rumoured to be considered for the role.
Elordi would be only the second Australian actor to play Bond, after George Lazenby, who played the agent in the 1969 film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’.
The new, unnamed James Bond installment won’t see the light of day until 2028, but we know already that Denis Villeneuve will direct the film, with ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Stephen Knight writing the screenplay.
READ NEXT: Taylor Swift sets historic streaming record with new song for ‘Toy Story 5’
Anna Ferraz 
Andre Alfonso R. Gutierrez 
Bobbie Ysabelle Matias