The Message Of Apple TV’s ‘Hijack’: Don’t Be A Hero, Just Let Criminals Be Criminals

Idris Elba's 'vulnerable' character is a clear message that thinking people need not and should not resort to brutish resistance.

'It's just skin': Idris Elba speaks out against making everything about race, says he stopped calling himself a 'black actor'



Actor Idris Elba condemned this week the overuse of racial descriptions, explaining why he no longer describes himself as a "black actor" despite being black.

Speaking with Esquire UK, Elba said humans are "obsessed" with race, in part because humans too often focus on their differences.

"As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth," he told the publication. "Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be.

"I stopped describing myself as a black actor when I realized it put me in a box," he revealed. "We've got to grow. We've got to. Our skin is no more than that: It's just skin."

Elba, in fact, seemed particularly annoyed by those who note his accomplishments by observing that he is the "first" black actor doing this or that.

"I didn’t become an actor because I didn’t see black people doing it and I wanted to change that. I did it because I thought that’s a great profession and I could do a good job at it," he said. "As you get up the ladder, you get asked what it’s like to be the first black to do this or that. Well, it’s the same as it would be if I were white. It’s the first time for me. I don’t want to be the first black. I’m the first Idris."

It seems, then, that Elba would not want to be chosen to be the next James Bond, succeeding Daniel Craig, because he is black, but because he would appropriately fit the character.

Last month, Elba chided celebrities for out-of-touch advocacy.

"Some celebrity advocacy is polarizing. I think there is a consumer and someone at home that does not find it appealing, might find it a bit patronizing," he said.

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Diversity exec: Idris Elba TV character 'doesn't have any black friends' so his cop drama Luther 'doesn't feel authentic'



Actor Idris Elba's character on "Luther," a British police drama, "doesn't feel authentic" because "he doesn't have any black friends" and "doesn't eat any Caribbean food," according a BBC diversity executive, Yahoo Celebrity UK reported.

What are the details?

The outlet reported that the comments came from Miranda Wayland, the BBC's head of creative diversity.

"When [Luther] first came out everybody loved the fact that Idris Elba was in there — a really strong, black character lead," Wayland told the MIPTV media conference, according to Yahoo Celebrity UK. "We all fell in love with him. Who didn't, right? But after you got into about the second series you got kind of like, 'Okay, he doesn't have any black friends, he doesn't eat any Caribbean food, this doesn't feel authentic.""

Wayland also said, "It's about making sure that everything around [characters] – their environment, their culture, the set – is absolutely reflective," Unilad reported, citing the Times.

White creator of 'Luther' has another view

But Neil Cross, the creator of "Luther," has previously addressed Elba's character, Metro reported, and noted Luther's race wasn't a consideration.

"I have no knowledge or expertise or right to try to tackle in some way the experience of being a black man in modern Britain," Cross said, according to Metro. "It would have been an act of tremendous arrogance for me to try to write a black character. We would have ended up with a slightly embarrassed, ignorant, middle-class, white writer's idea of a black character."

Here's a recent trailer:

LUTHER Series 5 | OFFICIAL TRAILER - BBC youtu.be

What did the BBC have to say?

In response to Wayland's comments, the BBC told Metro that "we are tremendously proud" of the "Luther" series and that "of course people can have open discussions about our shows, but that doesn't mean it's a statement of policy."

Metro said Wayland was appointed as the network's head of creative diversity in February 2020 "as part of the corporation's commitment to increasing on-air diversity."

#BreakTheGlass with Miranda Wayland youtu.be

Anything else?

"Luther" features Elba as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther and Ruth Wilson as his adversary Alice Morgan, Yahoo Celebrity UK said, adding that the hit show launched in 2010 and ran for five series until 2019.

Idris Elba Comes Out Against Canceling Old Comedies: 'I Don't Believe in Censorship'

British actor Idris Elba has pushed back against the censorship of classic sitcoms because of concerns about race, describing himself as "very much a believer in freedom of speech."