LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Hot Topics’ is undoubtedly one of the most interesting segments of ‘The View’ where the co-hosts discuss some of the most trending topics. This time around, co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Joy Behar discussed Idris Elba and his most recent statement on why he lost interest in playing James Bond. Hostin and Goldberg had different takes on this.
Hostin and Goldberg don’t always see eye-to-eye on ‘The View’ and it looks like this was one of those days. Hostin was hellbent on trying to prove that Elba should be the next James Bond, with some solid points backing her up. However, Goldberg didn’t agree and ended up offending Hostin, and possibly a lot of Elba’s fans.
Why did Elba refuse to play Bond?
In a recent 'SmartLess' episode, Elba spoke about the prospect of playing James Bond. He said, “Being, you know, asked to be James Bond was like, okay, you’ve reached the pinnacle. That’s one of those things the whole world sort of has a vote in. Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole disgusting and off-putting, you know, because it became about race. And it became about nonsense dude, and I got the brunt of it.” Elba’s name and Bond’s character have often been spoken in the same breath, but the by the looks of it, it isn’t happening anymore.
‘He is too old’
Goldberg was the first to chime in after Elba’s clip ended. “I think people forget that black people know that they’re black. You don’t have to remind us all the time, we know,” she said. Hostin said in response to Goldberg, “And that’s a very hurtful thing, especially for an actor.” She then reflected on the backlash ‘The Little Mermaid’ faced and confessed that she has a ‘thing’ for Elba. “I’m biased, but I do feel like this could be a teachable moment if he’s cast as James Bond,” she said.
Goldberg didn’t seem to agree with Hostin as she interrupted her co-host, saying, “He is too old to be…” Before Goldberg could finish, a very offended Hostin said, “He is not too old!” While Hostin looked genuinely hurt, Goldberg cited other examples of men that could be the next Bond, and that included Michael B Jordan and John Boyega. Goldberg explained how an actor would need ten years to do all the movies, and Hostin took a dig at the late Sean Connery. “But wasn’t Sean Connery like 800 when he started?” she asked. However, Goldberg quickly shut her down, saying, "No, he was not."
