Idris Elba Claims He No Longer Defines Himself As ‘A Black Actor’: ‘We Are Obsessed With Race’

There are often rumors that Idris Elba, 50, could become the next James Bond, in a “dark” version of the detective currently played by Daniel Craig. But, in an interview with Esquire magazine, he said he denies being defined as “a black actor”.

In the publication, the actor reflects on his experiences and claims that talking about differences makes humans obsessed with race. “If we spent half the time not talking about the differences but the similarities between us, the whole planet would have a change in the way we deal with each other. And this obsession can really get in the way of people’s aspirations, get in the way of people’s growth. people,” he says.

Despite this, the actor does not deny the racism present in society and says that he has already been a victim of violence. “Have I ever faced racism? Yes. Racism should be a topic of discussion for sure because it’s so real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be,” says Elba.

Therefore, he declares that he stopped defining himself as a black actor. “I stopped describing myself as a black actor when I realized it put me in a box. We have to grow up. Our skin is nothing more than that: it’s just skin.”

Idris also comments that he is aware that, in some situations, he is the first person like him to do certain things — and that he wants to leave that as a legacy.

“I accept that it is part of my journey to be aware that, in many cases, I can be the first to do a certain thing. And that is fine, to leave it as part of my legacy. So that other people, black children, but also white children growing up in the circumstances I grew up in, they could see that there was a child,” he reflects.