Idris Elba responds to criticism after not calling himself a black actor

Celebrities

By Jack Hobbs

March 5, 2023 | 9:48

Idris Elba responded to the backlash on Friday after an interview with Esquire UK in which Elba said he had stopped describing himself as a “black actor” as it limited his career.

The “Cats” actor said it’s “really hard” for celebrities to have an opinion, according to a new interview with The Guardian. Explaining that his words were “excessively scrutinized, taken out of context” and “thrown into some kind of bulls-t, zeitgeist social media argument.”

“I have the right to say that I don’t like to call myself a black actor. That’s me, not you,” said Elba, 50. “So for you to turn around and say to me, I ‘ denying my blackness’. On what basis? Did you hear that? Where do I deny it? And for what? It’s just stupid. Whatever.”

While speaking with Esquire, the “Luther” actor said “As human beings, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth.”

“Racism should be a topic of discussion, of course. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be,” the actor continued. “I stopped describing myself as a black actor , when I realized it put me in a box. We have to grow. We have to. Our skin is nothing more than that: it’s just skin. Ran over.”

The comments spurred more people to slam Elba.

“He’s still black, though. He can say he’s not a ‘black actor,’ but that skin color isn’t going to change just because he says it. He can still be typecast like any other black actor. tweeted a person.

“He’s not wrong lmao. Many Black and POC actors have talked about being typecast into stereotypical roles because of their race,” tweeted another.

“Star Wars” actor John Boyega came to Elba’s defense.

“I think we need to focus on who is typecasting and putting actors in boxes because of this. Not on making weird adjustments for them,” tweeted Boyega. “We continuously focus on what we have to do so that they don’t do this or that. Very worrying. We SORT and that’s it.”

Elba also took to Twitter to explain himself further.

“There is not a soul on this earth that can question whether or not I consider myself a BLACK MAN,” he wrote. “Being an ‘actor’ is a profession, just like being an ‘architect’. They are not defined by race. But if YOU define your work by your race, that is your prerogative.”