Saldana blasts Bond writer over Elba snub

Zoe Saldana ... fighting racism

LOS ANGELES: US actress Zoe Saldana launched a tirade Wednesday apparently aimed at James Bond writer Anthony Horowitz, after the novelist said Idris Elba was “too street” to play the fictional spy.
Saldana, 38, who appears with Elba in the upcoming “Star Trek Beyond,” described English mystery writer Horowitz as a “coward” and a “hypocrite” over the comments made in a newspaper interview last year.
“What kind of ignorant comment to make is that? Just say ‘I don’t see James Bond as a black man.’ I would respect that more than hiding behind some cowardly, stupid answer,” Saldana said in an interview with AFP.
Saldana said she was angered by the comments by “one of the writers” of Bond that Elba was “thuggish.”
She didn’t name him, but was almost certainly referring to 61-year-old Horowitz, who was commissioned by the estate of Bond creator Ian Fleming to write the 2015 novel “Trigger Mortis.”
“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,” Horowitz was quoted as saying last year.
The actress, who plays communications officer Nyota Uhura in the movie trilogy which rebooted the iconic “Star Trek” sci-fi film and television series, accused Horowitz of insulting Elba’s character.
“Just because (Idris) is black and he’s a DJ and he has one of the coolest walks I’ve ever seen in man he’s thuggish? Really? So when he played Mandela he played him like a thug?” Saldana told AFP.