The British actor said nobody would want to see him running around as Bond in his 60s – but did admit he wasn’t ready to hang up Luther’s grey trench coat yet
Idris Elba says he’s too old to play James Bond at 53(Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Idris Elba has poured cold water on rumours he will be getting suited and booted for the role of the next James Bond.
The 53-year-old star shot down any hopes of him ever doing Bond, claiming age is against him, saying: “I can’t believe I am still being asked this at 53. When you sign up to Bond you sign up for a decade of making films, often a bit longer. Nobody wants to see Bond running around in his mid 60s!”
The links come after Elba’s career, that spans decades, included his portrayal of the troubled homicide detective, Luther. He teased he could be ready to pick up his stylish long grey trench coat in the future.
The next James Bond would follow in the footsteps of Daniel Craig
He said: “Luther is the character I have played the longest, it’s probably the character that takes the most out of me.
“It takes such concentration to play Luther, he is so complex, and that’s why I love playing him because he takes me to places I haven’t been before.
“There is nothing to report at the moment, but I don’t think I am ready to say I have hung up his coat just yet.”
Elba also teased that he could play some more Luther
He was a part of a new documentary about the King’s Trust, after Elba’s vital work to try to eradicate knife crime.
He said: “If we are going to divert kids away from knife crime – we have to be able to offer them opportunities that they haven’t so far been getting. The King’s Trust does some incredible work, and we have to create these partnerships that get kids off the street.”
He went on: “There is a moral duty, knife crime is not just a criminal issue – it affects so many walks of life. Grieving families, overcrowding in prisons, problems in the school system. We have to get to the route of the issue – that’s the only way we are going to see real change.”
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