Idris Elba speaks out on Bond speculation

This week the debate over who should follow Daniel Craig as James Bond has reached fever pitch. It comes in the wake of author Anthony Horowitz’s ill-advised comment that Idris Elba was “too street” to play the role. Variety has now weighed into the debate with the publication of an interview with Elba (conducted prior to Horowitz’s comments) in which the star talks about the Bond rumours. And guess what? He’s up for it.

“If human beings want to know if there’s any connectivity between all of us, the one thing I’ve heard around the world universally is that, ‘You’ll be great at James Bond!’” says Elba.“If it should happen, that’s proof there’s connectivity amongst human beings. If everyone wants something, they can make it happen. That would be true.”

“It’s all rumour-ville,” continues the star. “I’m not speaking to the James Bond people. They are not speaking to me. So if it was to happen, there you go — the will of the nation. It’s an amazing opportunity. But who knows, man. I’ve stopped speaking about it now. Even speaking to you now, I shouldn’t have answered that question.”

Meanwhile, Elba has also responded to the Horowitz furore via a tongue-in-cheek Instagram post. “Always Keep Smiling!!” reads the message. “It takes no energy and never hurts! Learned that from the Street!! #septemberstillloveyou” Doesn’t sound like it’s phasing him too much, does it? Give that man a Martini…

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