Idris Elba Reveals When the Idea of Playing James Bond Became Less Appealing

Idris Elba is addressing those James Bond casting rumors and the public’s reaction to them.

The 50-year-old Beast actor’s name has been floating around as a possible replacement for Daniel Craig in the iconic 007 series for a while now.

He addressed the rumors earlier this year, revealing if he had been approached to audition for the part and more. However, during a recent podcast appearance Idris explained when the idea started to lose some of its shine.

Read more about Idris Elba’s experience with the 007 casting rumors…

During an appearance on SmartLess, Idris explained that he went from “super complimented” by the rumors to more frustrated.

“We’re all actors and we understand that that role is one of those sort of coveted types. It’s like being named Sexiest Man,” he told hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes.

He added that it was like someone was saying he had “sort of reached the pinnacle.”

“Essentially, 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,” Idris explained. “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.”

If you missed it, Idris recently revealed what was his hardest role to date. It seems like a safe bet that he would also consider it one of his most flattering.

While we’re still waiting to find out who will replace Daniel as the super-spy, one of the franchise’s directors revealed a frontrunner who was competing with the star for the part years ago.