Idris Elba Justifies Refusing To Refer to Himself As A “Black Actor”
- Advertisement -
Idris Elba responded with a tweet explaining his decision to avoid using the term “Black actor.”
The Suicide Squad star wrote, “There isn’t a soul on this earth that can dispute whether or not I consider myself a BLACK MAN. Acting is a career, just like being an “architect” is. Race does not categorize them. However, it is entirely up to YOU to describe your work regarding race. Ah, lie?”
There isn't a soul on this earth that can question whether I consider myself a BLACK MAN or not. Being an 'actor' is a profession, like being an 'architect' ,they are not defined by race. However, If YOU define your work by your race, that is your Perogative. Ah lie?
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) February 11, 2023
- Advertisement -
Following a recent interview with Esquire UK in which he claimed, “I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realized it put me in a cage,” Elba confused some people. We must develop. We need to. Simply put, our skin is nothing more than that. End of rant.
The Luther: The Fallen Sun actor claimed in the same interview that he chose to pursue acting because he “felt that’s a fantastic profession and I could do a good job at it” rather than because “I didn’t see Black people doing it.”
“As you move up the ladder, people start asking you what it’s like to be the first Black person to do this or that,” he continued. The situation is the same as it would be if I were white. For me, this is a first. Not wanting to be the first Black person. I am the original Idris.
Elba acknowledges that he may be the first person to achieve something which resembles him and says, “That’s fine, to leave as part of my legacy. So that other people—Black and white children growing up in the same environments as I—can witness a Canning Town child who ended up doing what I do. It is possible.
