Anthony Horowitz, the latest author behind the debonair, crime-fighting, gadget-wielding super-spy that is James Bond, thinks fan favorite Idris Elba wouldn’t be the right person to take on the icon. Why? It isn’t about color, Horowitz insists, but because Elba is “too rough” — nay, “too street” — to play the part.
In recent years, Elba’s name has been thrown around as the best actor to succeed Daniel Craig, whose films have received mixed reviews. Elba is English, objectively handsome, and devilishly charming. More importantly, he’s a brilliant actor.
However, in a new interview about his new book, Trigger Mortis, a continuation of Ian Fleming’s 007 series, Horowitz had a lot to say about the screen adaptations, dubbing Skyfall and Quantum of Solace — the last two movie adaptations of the series — failures. And talking about what — and who — makes for a perfect Bond representation, Horowitz proclaimed Elba is not the right black actor for the iconic role.
“Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better,” he told the Daily Mail. “For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”
Sure, to Horowitz’ point, there are a ton of black Englishmen who could also take on the role — Chiwetel Ejiofor or David Oyelowo, for instance. But saying Elba isn’t suave enough for the part is like saying Elba isn’t British enough. And calling Elba “rough” ignores an extensive resume that includes multidimensional and diverse characters. Sure, he did play a drug lord in the Wire, but he’s also taken on less violent roles: a financier in Obsessed, a pianist in This Christmas, and a guardian of Asgard in the Marvel Universe. Hell, he played Nelson Mandela in the Long Walk to Freedom. Elba’s resume, put simply, shows talent and range.
So what makes him “too street,” exactly?
It could be that British spies have tended to look more like Craig, Timothy Dalton, or Sean Connery. In reality, England’s Secret Intelligence Service, aka M16, is pretty white. And “street” is coded language for too thuggish, which has evolved into a code phrase for “too black.”
In other words, Elba doesn’t look the part.
Perhaps without realizing it, Horowitz walked into an argument that touches on two recurring themes in pop culture: colorism and canon. As Hollywood slowly diversifies, black actors and actresses have been criticized for playing roles that have historically been embodied by their white counterparts. We saw this with Michael B. Jordan, who was attacked for playing the Human Torch in the reboot of Fantastic Four. Quvenzhané Wallis was slammed for playing Annie. Donald Glover could have been an amazing Spiderman, but Sony wanted to ensure Peter Parker was neither gay nor black.
And Rue. Poor Rue. Somehow, readers missed the fact that the Hunger Games victim was, indeed, a little black girl. So when Amandla Stenberg appeared on screen, the racist backlash was swift and cruel. (Perhaps that’s why the 16-year-old is so #woke about social injustice).
Sometimes critics embrace a more transparent form of racism and argue bluntly that a character cannot be a person of color. But others throw around phrases like “canon” or “has always been” to explain why black actors aren’t the right fit. To change the race of a beloved character is to discard and rewrite history!
Based on the rest of Horowitz’ article, the author’s goal is to keep Bond modern while maintaining the persona he’s always had. He wants Bond to remain mysterious, unknowable beyond his cool persona. He wants Bond to stay a ladies’ man, so instead of making him less misogynistic, Horowitz makes Bond’s female love interest more cunning than him — and a lesbian. Bond still “has unfortunate attitudes towards women, gays, Jews and foreigners,” and the challenge is to make him “likeable.” In 50+ years, Bond’s growth has been minimal at best, and Horowitz seems more interested in sticking close to canon than anything else.
So if he wants the new Bond to mirror the old Bond, Idris Elba doesn’t stand a chance.
Update:
Horowitz has since offered an apology for his choice of words. “Clumsily, I chose the word ‘street’ as Elba’s gritty portrayal of DCI John Luther was in my mind but I admit it was a poor choice of word. I am mortified to have caused offence,” he said in a statement. “In the article I expressed the opinion that to my mind Adrian Lester would be a better choice but I’m a writer not a casting director so what do I know?”