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Idris Elba on casting, Hollywood and race

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(CNN) — The topic of race in Hollywood is a layered one, and it seems Idris Elba would like to take a break from sifting through it.

The “Luther” star, who has roles in the upcoming thrillers “Prometheus” and “No Good Deed” as well as the lead in the Nelson Mandela biopic, “Long Walk To Freedom,” recently told New York magazine’s Vulture that he’s grown weary of discussing the opportunities for white actors versus actors of color.

“I’m so bored of answering that,” said the 39-year-old, who rose to fame playing Stringer Bell in “The Wire.” “Are there differences between black actors’ opportunities and white actors’ opportunities? Yes, there are. It’s been said. I’d rather a young black actor read about success as opposed to how tough it was. I get these roles because I can act and that’s it. Hopefully that’s it. The less I talk about being black, the better.”

And while his upcoming movies are more serious in nature, Elba added that he’s hoping to nab a role in a movie for kids one of these days.

“I love kids and kids like me, so I’d like to do something a bit silly,” he says of his aspirations. “I admire Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, and his fearlessness in taking roles like that even though he’s known for being a hard man. That shows versatility. Plus those movies are a lot of fun, and my daughter likes them.”

His next movie, however, isn’t exactly family friendly: “Prometheus” opens June 1.

The-CNN-Wire/Atlanta/+1-404-827-WIRE(9473)

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