Where were you when ’90s James Bond movie GoldenEye came out? We can tell you where Idris Elba was: seeing it opening weekend then reviewing it as a regular viewer.
A recent clip has emerged on Twitter, thanks to user KevBot_007, of various people who’ve just seen Pierce Brosnan’s first turn as James and giving their thoughts. Among those randomly selected is a young Elba, who appears right at the end. “[Brosnan’s] really good. He’s got all the charm, and he’s got all the looks, y’know what I mean?” Elba says. “He’s fit, he’s strong, and blah, blah, blah. Yeah, he’s alright.”
The Suicide Squad actor is accompanied by an unknown friend who simply calls GoldenEye “better than the last one”. At this point, in 1995, Elba was just starting to make some headway with his acting career. He was getting one-off appearances in TV series like The Bill and Absolutely Fabulous, and scored his first main role in a season of period drama Bramwell. He’d make his film debut with comedy movie Belle maman a few years later, in 1999.
A fascinating relic in its own right, it’s made all the more interesting because of all the speculation around Elba possibly become the next James Bond. Daniel Craig is vacating the role after this year’s No Time to Die, and Elba is one of the more popular choices among the general fandom. The actor himself has quelled expectations, but when has the internet ever stayed reasonable?
Audience reactions to GoldenEye. Spot anyone interesting toward the end? pic.twitter.com/Fi2y1E4tFI
— DoubleOKevin (@KevBot_007) September 18, 2021
We just saw Elba help lead James Gunn’s DCEU movie The Suicide Squad, in which he starred with the likes of John Cena, Margot Robbie, and David Dostmalchian. He’s back on our screens later this year with drama movie The Harder They Fall, and he’s in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 next year.
Who knows, maybe the next big star will be caught giving their thoughts on one of those after they premiere?