RACIAL IDENTITY
Why It Doesn't Matter Whether Idris Elba Identifies as a Black Actor
How you identify may differ from how people see you
When actor Idris Elba announced that he no longer wanted to be referred to as a "Black actor," he threw some of his fans for a loop. As someone who made a career playing complex Black characters on hit series like The Wire (2002) and films like American Gangster (2007), the distance Elba’s statement tried to create between his professional career and racial identity seemed a bit off, like a carton of milk, you have to smell before you pour. But, of course, the fact that some Black people want to distance themselves from blackness in professional settings is a common byproduct of living in a global community that treats whiteness like a gold standard. Nevertheless, I doubt it matters whether Idris Elba identifies as a Black actor because the world sees him as such.
People in the entertainment industry characterize Elba as a Black actor, and that's not something he can change with a press release. Sure, casting directors who want Elba to work on their projects should avoid referring to him as a "Black actor," given his personal views, but will this really make people stop seeing him as a Black man? Absolutely not. Insisting someone stop referring to you as Black has…
