'I don't want to be the first Black. I'm the first Idris.'
"I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realized it put me in a box," Elba, 50, said."We've got to grow. We've got to. Our skin is no more than that: it's just skin.""But when I go to America, I'm a prominent member of the British community. 'Oh, UK's in the house!'"
The"Beast" actor stressed that while he understands that he may be the"first" person who looks like him to accomplish something, he said he wants his achievements and talent as an actor to be what stands out. "I accept that it is part of my journey to be aware that, in many cases, I might be the first to look like me to do a certain thing. And that's good, to leave as part of my legacy," Elba said."So that other people, Black kids, but also white kids growing up in the circumstances I grew up in, are able to see there was a kid who came from Canning Town who ended up doing what I do. It can be done.
"If we spent half the time not talking about the differences but the similarities between us, the entire planet would have a shift in the way we deal with each other," he said."As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it's only as powerful as you allow it to be.
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