The idea that Idris Elba should play James Bond has been around for a few years, but resurfaced recently thanks to one of the many hacked Sony emails. Now that idea has grown into a big black specter that haunts Rush Limbaugh at night as he curls up under the covers with his flashlight and elephant doll, praying for white Jesus to protect him from a world where fictional characters can be played by people of different races, seeing as how they’re made up and all. That is to say, Limbaugh went on a bit of a tirade about the totally hypothetical casting of Elba in the role of James Bond on his show last week, saying, “He was white and Scottish. Period. That is who James Bond is, was,” before acknowledging, with not quite enough self awareness, that “I know it’s racist to probably point this out.” That’s kind of what it sounds like, Rush, especially since you were okay with an Australian, three Englishmen, a Welshman, and an Irishman in the role.
Anyhow, Elba has talked about Bond before, telling NPR in 2011 that “I just don’t want to be the black James Bond…Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond, and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.” Elba responded to this most recent round of “controversy” on Twitter over the weekend, making a self-depreciating joke that we all know was ridiculous because Idris Elba is very handsome:
We won’t actually know who the next James Bond will be for a few years, as current star Daniel Craig is signed on for one more film after next year’s Spectre. In the meantime, somebody should start a rumor that the next Jack Ryan will be a woman. Rush should have fun with that.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]