Roger Moore Denies Racist Bond Comments

Former Bond actor Roger Moore claims that comments he made in a French magazine about the potential for Idris Elba to play James Bond, that many have called have called racist, were mistranslated. Moore, 87, tweeted, “An interview I gave to Paris Match implies I said something racist about Idris Elba. That is simply untrue,” along with the hashtag “Lost in translation.” He then added, “When a journalist asks if 'Bond should be English' and you agree, then quotes you saying it about Idris Elba it's out of context.” Moore is quoted in the interview in Paris Match as saying, “Though James has been played by a Scot, a Welshman, an Irishman, I think he should be English-English. It's nonetheless an interesting idea, but unrealistic. Some years ago, I said that Cuba Gooding Jr would make an excellent Bond but it was a joke!”