Idris Elba: "I Didn't Come to America to Play Black Roles"

Most actors would give anything for the chance to play a character as iconic as James Bond, but British heartthrob Idris Elba says not so fast. "If I played him, I don’t want to be called the Black James Bond," he tells NPR.

"Do you understand what I ‘m saying? Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond." As Elba goes on to explain, he didn't come to the States "to play Black roles. I just came to play roles."

While Daniel Craig isn't giving up the gig just yet, Elba's name has been mentioned as a possible replacement — a notion Elba dismisses as "a very old rumor." Still, he claims he wouldn't turn down the chance: "If Sony decided to call me and said hey, we want to do [James Bond], I’d definitely consider it."

As long as he doesn't mind being called the sexiest James Bond.

(Photo: Amanda Edwards/PictureGroup)