Idris Elba on casting, Hollywood and race
May 29th, 2012
03:01 PM ET

Idris Elba on casting, Hollywood and race

The topic of race in Hollywood is a layered one, and it seems Idris Elba would like to take a break from sifting through it.

The “Luther” star, who has roles in the upcoming thrillers “Prometheus" and “No Good Deed” as well as the lead in the Nelson Mandela biopic, "Long Walk To Freedom," recently told New York magazine's Vulture that he's grown weary of discussing the opportunities for white actors versus actors of color.

“I’m so bored of answering that," said the 39-year-old, who rose to fame playing Stringer Bell in “The Wire." "Are there differences between black actors’ opportunities and white actors’ opportunities? Yes, there are. It’s been said. I’d rather a young black actor read about success as opposed to how tough it was. I get these roles because I can act and that’s it. Hopefully that’s it. The less I talk about being black, the better."

And while his upcoming movies are more serious in nature, Elba added that he's hoping to nab a role in a movie for kids one of these days.

“I love kids and kids like me, so I’d like to do something a bit silly,” he says of his aspirations. “I admire Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, and his fearlessness in taking roles like that even though he’s known for being a hard man. That shows versatility. Plus those movies are a lot of fun, and my daughter likes them.”

His next movie, however, isn't exactly family friendly: “Prometheus" opens June 1.


soundoff (7 Responses)
  1. stinkytojo

    Why, oh why couldn't Idris be the new Alex Cross? Nothing against him, but Tyler Perry is a ridiculous choice for that character. I was rooting for Idris the whole time.

    May 30, 2012 at 9:20 am | Report abuse |
  2. Jeannie from MD

    I'd like to have him for lunch.

    May 29, 2012 at 10:32 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Rita

    I wonder if Idris know that he'll never play James Bond, as was once rumored, because they signed Daniel Craig for the next five years.

    May 29, 2012 at 8:37 pm | Report abuse |
  4. SAE

    I love looking at this man....LAWD HAVE MERCY!!

    May 29, 2012 at 5:09 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Joy

    He is so hot!

    May 29, 2012 at 3:29 pm | Report abuse |
  6. greenway

    He was wonderful in Daddy's Girls,and hopefully he'll become the first black James Bond.

    May 29, 2012 at 3:17 pm | Report abuse |
  7. tee hee

    He's 39 ? He looks much older then that.

    May 29, 2012 at 3:08 pm | Report abuse |

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement
About this blog

Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.