I want Idris Elba to be James Bond. I want this to happen so badly. He has experience acting as a suave, cunning man in Luther. He can also be the devious maniac as seen in No Good Deed. He's been a man of great power and stature as Nelson Mandela in Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom. He has all these acting capabilities, not to mention that he’s a gorgeous man on the same level as Daniel Craig. I’m all ready for him to be the next James Bond.
When talks of this potential casting started up back in March, however, there were a large number of people who disapproved. Fans of the James Bond 007 franchise made sure that others knew just how disappointing it would be to have Idris fill the slot. Even though their voices hold little weight, one person came to the forefront to share his thoughts on the discussion this week. The new author of the next James Bond novel, Anthony Horowitz, of the James Bond series expressed that he did not think Idris Elba would fit the role because he's "too rough" and "too street" for the part. In other words, he's too black. Now, Horowitz knew our thoughts would go in that direction but he insists that it has nothing to do with race. Still, I'm not convinced.
This uproar sounds very similar to an instance of almost identical circumstance that occurred back in 2014. When little eleven-year old Quvenzhane Wallis was cast as the star in a film remake of Annie, all hell broke loose. It wasn't fair, complainers claimed. Suddenly, people's favorite white, red-headed, curly-haired orphan was to be transformed into a black, curly-haired, "ghetto" orphan. You'd think that some devastating, life-threatening attack had been made, but in actuality, all that happened was that a fictional character was to be portrayed by an actor that's not traditionally selected.
But lots of white people hold their fictional characters so closely that to have a black actor take the role would be to taint it. There's this idea that certain characters must be reserved only for white people. What these objections are screaming louder than ever is that people of color are not seen as deserving of center stage. Our place is only ever as a sidekick like in Captain America: Winter Soldier and Iron Man or the villainous, malicious character like in Training Day. To allow an non-white actor to take part in it would mean that it's no longer their own.
However, those who believe this line of thought never acknowledge that these characters are seen and beloved by non-white viewers, many of whom revel in the daringness of James Bond and in the quirkiness of Annie just as much as them. Why should we, then, not be able to see ourselves act those parts on the screen if we are as capable and are as affected by those fantasies as anyone else? To see ourselves on those screens would mean we don't get accustomed to seeing ourselves only limited to the marginal, inconsequential roles or evil, combative personalities. We get to see ourselves heralded and cherished too.
Since we consume this media, we deserve a big space in it as well. That's why seeing little Quvenzhane bring Annie to life meant so much to so many young people of color. That's why so many of us would love to see Idris Elba become yet another kick-ass James Bond.This isn't to say these characters aren't yours. They are. They're just ours too.
