We’ve seen him portray historical legends such as Nelson Mandela, and the God Heimdall in Thor and The Avengers, now Idris Elba has made history in his own right by being the first male to appear on the cover of Maxim magazine.
Maxim, a leading men’s lifestyle magazine, usually features beautiful and semi-nude women on its cover to accompany its content covering girls, style, sport, technology, and entertainment. Editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear stated 42 year-old Elba was the perfect choice to have as the first ever solo male front cover.
“He’s multi-dimensional, he’s complex, he’s sophisticated, but he’s down to earth. It was funny when on set, I was like, ‘Is there anything this guy can’t do?’ He’s an award-winning actor, he’s a DJ, his capsule clothing line for Superdry is about to hit stores. The guy broke the [British] land speed record, which hasn’t been touched since like 1928. He’s sort of a living, breathing superhero.”
It’s the September issue and Elba also speaks again about the abounding rumours he could be the next James Bond, replacing Daniel Craig. Having won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in BBC series Luther, the talk surrounding a Bond film would not go away, despite him repeatedly denying it. In this latest interview it seems as though the issue still hasn’t been put to bed. Elba did not categorically state he would not do it, rather that it would now be unlikely.
“If I were the Bond producers and everyone was pointing me toward one actor, what’s the surprise in that? Honestly, it’s one of those things that if it should happen, it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; it would be the will of a nation.I just don’t want to be called the first black James Bond. Do you understand what I’m saying? Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”
Elba will next appear in Beasts of No Nation, a drama based on the experiences of a child soldier.
What do you think of the photo-shoot, and how would he do as James Bond?