Actor Idris Elba has long been rumoured to be the next star to play James Bond but he has opened up about the backlash he is facing over the idea of him playing the character.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, as cited by USA Today, the actor said that he is "disheartened" that some people don't think he can do the job because he's black.
"You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, 'It can't be.' And it really turns out to be the colour of my skin," the 46-year-old actor said.
"And then if I get it and it didn't work, or it did work, would it be because of the colour of my skin? That's a difficult position to put myself into when I don't need to," he added.
Still, no one says 'no' to 007 and the actor said he would definitely play the role if he is approached for it.
"James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character, that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey. Of course, if someone said to me, 'Do you want to play James Bond?,' I'd be like, 'Yeah!' That's fascinating to me. But it's not something I've expressed, like, 'Yeah, I wanna be the black James Bond'," Elba said.
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Actor Daniel Craig is giving up the role of Bond when he wraps the 25th movie in the franchise, which is currently being filmed.
Elba's next outing 'Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw' is slated to release in August.
Filming of 'Bond 25' has encountered several obstacles along the way. Craig sustained an injury while working on the project, an on-set explosion caused injury to a crew member and damaged the 007 stage and director Cary Fukunaga had to shut down rumours that he has skipped filming days, among several other issues.
'Bond 25' is scheduled to hit the big screens on April 8, 2020.