Roger Moore Denies Racist Bond Comments
Roger Moore ignited a firestorm of criticism after making some comments about Idris Elba being the next Bond, but now the actor who played the former British spy denies his alleged Bond comments.
Moore, who once played Bond himself, spoke to Paris Match about the movie franchise and Idris Elba take over the reins of the famous British spy.
Moore stated, “A few years ago, I said that Cuba Gooding Jr. would make an excellent Bond, but it was a joke!”
He then went on to say that Bond should be played by someone who is “English-English.”
It was those comments that had people up in arms saying that Moore had made racist comments by implying that Idris Elba would make for an “unrealistic” Bond.
But now Moore denies making comments that were racist. Moore took to Twitter to state that it was “simply untrue” and that they weren’t racist at all but that something must have been “lost in translation.”
An interview I gave to Paris Match implies I said something racist about Idris Elba. That is simply untrue. #Lost in translation.
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) March 28, 2015
The denial comes after fans shared their anger with Moore, pointing out that Idris Elba is “English-English,” as he was born in London.
Despite his denial of making the racist comments, it appears that some people just aren’t believing it. One fan asks “So what did you mean?” while others make cracks about his original “English-English” comment.
@sirrogermoore so what did you mean?
— Saj Chowdhury (@SajChowdhury) March 28, 2015
@sirrogermoore were you not speaking English English?
— Ash Chohan (@Ash784C) March 28, 2015
@sirrogermoore everyone’s entitled to their opinion, old chap. Just like Sean Connery made a better Bond than you.
— #TeamYKYB (@YouKnowYouBogus) March 28, 2015
@sirrogermoore You made yourself perfectly clear to me. You think Idris isn’t good enough because he is BLACK. Why backtrack? Coward.
— BugattiFemme (@BugattiFemme) March 28, 2015
So how did talk of Elba playing Bond even come about? Isn’t the latest Bond film still starring Daniel Craig?
Idris Elba is not confirmed as the next actor to play the iconic Bond. According to the New York Daily News, the whole idea of Elba playing Bond came about because “a leaked email written by ex-Sony Pictures exec Amy Pascal revealed she was interested in him” to play the British spy.
When asked if he would play Bond, Elba responded, “Yes, if it was offered to me, absolutely.”
While his comments may not be clear right now, Roger Moore denies making racist Bond comments.
[Photo Courtesy of Soppakanuuna]
