Idris Elba Offers A Straightforward Rule For How Men Can Navigate The #MeToo Movement

No, British actor Idris Elba still isn’t in the running to play James Bond (according to Idris Elba), but that doesn’t mean the Luther star isn’t keeping himself out of the news cycle. In fact, because of the hit BBC drama’s upcoming return, the 46-year-old performer is currently doing publicity and, between repeated questions about 007, he’s also getting asked about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Specifically, The Sunday Times asked him if he thought men were having a tough time nowadays. As Vanity Fair notes, Elba’s response is getting a lot of attention because of how dissimilar it is from the likes of Matt Damon and Henry Cavill, both of whom had to issue apologies for their misguided statements. “It’s only difficult if you’re a man with something to hide,” the Luther actor said in response.

Aside from fellow leading men Damon and Cavill, plenty of other male luminaries in the film and television world have said things about #MeToo that aren’t quite as pertinent (or as short) as Elba’s comments. Sean Penn said some eyebrow-raising things while promoting his Hulu series The First. Comedian Norm Macdonald, meanwhile, recently came under fire for a string of tweets about the matter (and other related topics). But Elba? He took the high road, and social media has noticed.

Like television powerhouse Shonda Rhimes and former advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett.

Others have chimed in to support Elba’s quick comments, be it with their own concise tweets or the inevitable jokey memes.

https://twitter.com/softskoshgord/status/1074244464455999488

https://twitter.com/marcellacomedy/status/1074727041226858496

(Via Vanity Fair)