Idris Elba Clarifies Not Describing Himself as a 'Black Actor'

Idris Elba has elaborated on controversial comments he made about no longer describing himself as a "Black actor."

Taking to Twitter, the actor wrote on Saturday that "there isn't a soul on this earth that can question whether I consider myself a BLACK MAN or not."

"Being an 'actor' is a profession, like being an 'architect,' they are not defined by race," Elba tweeted. "However, if YOU define your work by your race, that is your prerogative."

Elba's comments come on the heels of remarks he made during an interview with Esquire U.K. where he addressed racism he has experienced in his career, saying that he has "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," he said.

Elba pointed out that, although he often gets asked about whether he experiences racism, he does not make it a point to bring the topic up with his Black friends.

"I'm always curious why this is fascinating to people. It's a question I get asked a lot. I don't go to my Black friends, in conversation, and ask them to tell me about racism. Have I ever faced racism? Yeah," he said.

"I'm not any more Black because I'm in a white area, or more Black because I'm in a Black area," Elba continued. "I'm Black. And that skin stays with me no matter where I go, every day, through Black areas with white people in it, or white areas with Black people in it. I'm the same Black."

Elba went on to note that, if more time was spent talking about the "similarities between us" as opposed to the differences, then "the entire planet would have a shift in the way we deal with each other."

"As humans, we are obsessed with race," he continued. "And that obsession can really hinder people's aspirations, hinder people's growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it's only as powerful as you allow it to be."

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