6) Chiwetel Ejiofor
Idris Elba would make a great black James Bond – but he’s not the only one. As the debate continues over what race 007 should be, those in the favorable camp have come to typically cite Elba as the favorite to be the first ‘black Bond,’ without considering that – if it were decided that Bond could be played by a star of any color – it would open the field up to so many other choices. And hey, the Oscar-nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor is available.
Ejiofor was asked to play what is now Andrew Scott’s part in Spectre, which doesn’t seem fitting for an actor of his caliber. He turned the part down, which makes sense considering he could do stellar work as the man in the main gig.
There wasn’t a great deal for him to do in the film, but even in his most recent movie The Martian, Ejiofor was a touch of class. Give him more to do – as in the likes of 12 Years a Slave – and he’s even better.