Thor Review!
Social issues about race and color emerge, as new Hollywood actor makes super hero movie claim?
[May 7]
Idris Elba is the name of the black actor chosen to play Heimdall in the new comic book super hero movie Thor, and he is quite unforgettable. However, his selection by producers and directors to play the Norse god has not gone unnoticed by some who don’t like that the production team went with a non-traditional casting call.
What is the big deal about the Hollywood actor starring in the super hero movie?
For starters he is not Nordic. Secondarily, actor Idris Elba is black, and all the Norse gods in the comic book were white. And yes, because of it, he has critics.
To this controversy, we say BIG WHOOP and congratulate producers for making a non-racist casting call (even if it is historically non-traditional).
Actor Idris Elba has only spoken out briefly for the backlash over Marvel casting a person of color as a Norse god. Elba indicated in a recent celebrity interview that while some Marvel Comic fans had been upset because it was a deviation from the comics original drawings from a purely aesthetic standpoint, others were mad about his casting purely for racial reasons.
Elba’s straight forward and no BS reaction to his job playing the Heimdall character was simple and to the point. He said that if fans didn’t like his casting, they should just stay home. (Link)
Good for him.
And yes, the Thor movie is ever bit a visual treasure as one would imagine an epic saga about a super hero would be including a cast member like him.
Off screen, Idris Elba deejays under the name “Big Driis the Londoner” in his spare time. He’s a sexy guy on and off camera, with a big personality to match.
Born September 6, 1972, the Gen X star hails from London, England.
Before landing the hot new movie star role in Thor, he starred in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence an a slew of television series like The Office and The Wire.
Regarding the plot of the new movie Thor, IMDb shared the following teaser, writing “The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.”
So too has the name Idris Elba begun to rise in the ranks of influential Hollywood screen guild actors as a black actor advocating heroically for all people of color.
For his willingness to be a spokesperson against stupidity and racial prejudice, we welcome him to the world of Green Celebrity.