Idris Elba has shut down those James Bond rumors once and for all.

In an interview with British GQ published Monday, the 53-year-old actor said the rumors were “never legit.”

“It was always just a rumor,” Elba said of the speculation, which first began swirling 15 years ago, according to the outlet. “I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing.”

Elba said certain audiences would never accept a Black man in the role of a fictional British Secret Service (MI6) agent.

“Also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world,” he said. “And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”

It was James Bond icon Daniel Craig who initially sparked the rumors when, at the 2008 Italian premiere of “Quantum of Solace,” he suggested it was time for a Black Bond to emerge, British GQ reported. The premiere took place just a day after former President Barack Obama’s election victory against Republican nominee John McCain.

Craig last starred as 007 in 2021′s “No Time To Die.” Bond has previously been played by actors Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

Elba said that although he was complimented by the rumors, he thinks “James Bond was written how he was written for a reason.”

He also shared why it’s best not to make the character “woke.”

“Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke,” he said. “I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”

Elba previously slammed the backlash he faced when the casting rumors first began circulating.

“It was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except for some corners — which we will not talk about — were really happy about the idea that I could be considered,” he said during a June 2023 appearance on the “Smartless” podcast. “Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race.”

“And I got the brunt of it,” he added.

Although he may not be the next Bond, Idris was recently knighted. On June 2, he received the honor from King Charles for services to young people. Elba is also a Goodwill Ambassador for The King’s Trust.

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