Idris Elba has recently revealed that he's stopped referring to himself as a 'Black actor' after he realized it 'put him in a box.'
Elba, best known for his portrayal of Luther in the BBC's psychological crime drama of the same name, has gotten candid about the use of labels and how they have restricted him in a new interview with Esquire UK.
While he has found himself being thrown into many general categories throughout his career, there's one that he's now disassociated himself from due to its confining qualities.
"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," Elba said.
"As humans, we are obsessed with race and that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations [and] hinder people’s growth," the 50-year-old actor continued before highlighting that we need to be shifting the focus to more helpful conversations.
"Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real," he added. "But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be. I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realized it put me in a box. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin.
"Of course, I'm a member of the Black community," Elba added. "You say a prominent one. But when I go to America, I'm a prominent member of the British community. 'Oh, U.K.'s in the house!'"
The star then clarified that despite not adhering to that specific label, he is not lacking when it comes to understanding the importance of his role, especially for his community.
"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. 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 [a district in London] who ended up doing what I do.
"It can be done."
In another segment of the interview, the Bastille Day star opened up about why he wanted to get into acting, stating that it wasn't the lack of representation that spurred him on, instead it was because it seemed like a "great profession."
"I didn't become an actor because I didn’t see Black people doing it and I wanted to change that," he told the outlet. "I did it because I thought that’s a great profession and I could do a good job at it.
"As you get up the ladder, you get asked what it’s like to be the first Black to do this or that. Well, it’s the same as it would be if I were white. It’s the first time for me. I don’t want to be the first Black. I'm the first Idris."
The news comes shortly after Netflix announced that Elba would be making his highly-anticipated return as Luther in an upcoming blockbuster titled Luther: The Fallen Sun.
It tells the story of the "brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther [who] breaks out of prison to hunt down a sadistic serial killer who is terrorizing London" as per it's official IMDb page.
The Fallen Sun is set to premiere in the United States on February 24.
