Idris Elba recently called out some of the criticism he has faced after rumors circulated several years ago that he was slated to become the next James Bond.
During a Wednesday appearance on Apple Podcasts’ “Smartless” with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Elba called some of the backlash to the casting rumors “disgusting.”
“I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said about the idea that he was being considered for the “coveted” role as the next 007.
“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,” he later said. “Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race.”
“And I got the brunt of it,” he added.
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Rumors that the “Luther” actor was being thought of for the role of Bond gained traction in 2014 after the massive Sony Pictures hack uncovered that then-studio co-chair Amy Pascal told a colleague, “Idris should be the next Bond.”
Rush Limbaugh, the late right-wing talk radio host who was often lambasted for spewing bigoted theories, blatantly said in 2014 that he didn’t think Elba should play Bond because he’s Black.
In 2015, Anthony Horowitz, author of three James Bond novels, said in an interview that he thought Elba was “too rough” and “too street” to play Bond. The author later apologized for the remark.
Elba told Vanity Fair in 2019 that he was “disheartened” by pushback from those who didn’t think a Black person should be cast as Bond, who was last played by Daniel Craig in 2021’s “No Time To Die.”
But clearly, “The Harder They Fall” actor has had several other projects to distract him from the yearslong Bond rumors.
Elba stars in the new Apple TV+ series “Hijack,” which debuted on Wednesday.