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Idris Elba Responds to “Too Street for Bond” Comment in an Awesome Way

Idris Elba
Idris Elba responded perfectly to James Bond author Anthony Horowitz, who said that he's "too street" to play the iconic role

Idris Elba is keeping it classy. The British hunk responded perfectly to author Anthony Horowitz after he said the actor is "too street" to play James Bond in an upcoming movie.

Horowitz — who penned the latest James Bond book, Trigger Mortis — made the comments during an interview with the Daily Mail late last month. "Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better," Horowitz, 60, said at the time.

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He continued: "For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a color issue. I think he is probably a bit too 'street' for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah."

Fans of the Luther star expressed their outrage on social media, listing all the reasons why he's the perfect star to take over the role. (Daniel Craig recently played the MI6 agent in 2012's Skyfall.) On Sept. 1, Horowitz responded to the backlash with an apology via Twitter.

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"I'm really sorry my comment about Idris Elba have caused offense. That wasn't my intention," he said. "I was asked in my interview if Idris Elba would make a good James Bond. In the article I expressed the opinion that to my mind Adrian Lester would be a better choice but I'm a writer not a casting director so what do I know?"

Always Keep Smiling!! It takes no energy and never hurts! Learned that from the Street!! ???? #septemberstillloveyou

A photo posted by Idris Elba (@idriselba) on Sep 1, 2015 at 3:30pm PDT

He added: "Clumsily, I chose the word 'street' as Elba's gritty portrayal of DCI John Luther was in my mind but I admit it was a poor choice of word. I am mortified to have caused offense."

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Elba, meanwhile, finally gave his two cents via Instagram on Wednesday, Sept. 2. "Always Keep Smiling!! It takes no energy and never hurts!" he captioned a pic of the story. "Learned that from the Street!! #septemberstillloveyou."

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