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For months, Idris Elba, the smooth-as-silk British actor, has been rumored to be the next James Bond after Eon Productions decides it’s time for Daniel Craig to sip his last shaken –not stirred –martini.
But new 007 author Anthony Horowitz doesn’t think that’s such a fab idea.
Horowitz, whose first Bond novel, "Trigger Mortis" is out this month, was quoted in The Daily Mail as saying Elba isn't "suave" enough and, is, uh "too street" to tackle the legendary character.
“It’s not a color issue,” Horowitz told the newspaper. “I think he is probably a bit too street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”
Clearly, Horowitz has only seen Elba as Stringer Bell, the ruthless drug lord he played to sinister perfection on “The Wire,” HBO’s groundbreaking drama on the Baltimore drug trade.
But even in that role, Elba oozed a palpable coolness as he ran his narcotics empire like a Fortune 500 company, all the while seducing the comely babe whose man was in the joint — and who grew tired of sleeping alone. A very Bond-like move.
After that Emmy-worthy role, Elba, has shown an impressive range, playing everyone from Nelson Mandela— Nelson Mandela!!! — to an all-seeing and all-hearing guardian sentry in “Thor” and its sequel, “Thor: The Dark World.”
Bond’s tux would fit Elba’s lean, muscular frame quite well. If I can’t be the next 007 (at 53, I’m too old and wouldn’t have the physical stamina for all those crazy stunts like jumping off moving trains, and such), I have no issues with Elba taking it, even though Craig has been the best Bond since some guy named Connery played him.
Horowitz’s comments have been called racist by some. That’s a knee-jerk reaction. I, however, didn’t take them that way. Horowitz did add there are other black actors who could do it better, though he failed to name one. Or, if he did, the article didn’t run the names.
Any good actor should be able to inhabit a wide range of characters, unless you’re Mark Wahlberg, that is, who always appears to be playing a version of himself. Elba has proven he’s no one-trick pony who will be pigeonholed into one specific character, a fate too many black actors and actresses know all too well.
Can Elba play “street?” Sure, he can. But, when you think about it, that’s not a bad thing and would give Bond a rough-edged, don’t-mess-with-me exterior that could take the character to a whole new level.
It’s time for Bond to join the dark side. And no black actor can do that better than Elba. Idris Elba.
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