Sir Roger Moore apparently did not pull a Rush Limbaugh in a recent interview that referenced Idris Elba, who was months ago named as a possible future James Bond star.
Moore, 87, who played the British super spy in seven movies in the '70s and '80s, was asked about the rumors in an interview with French magazine Paris Match. According to the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, the outlet quoted him as saying, "Although James may have been played by a Scot, a Welshman and an Irishman, I think he should be 'English-English.' Nevertheless, it's an interesting idea, but unrealistic."
Following online criticism, the actor, who is British himself, took to Twitter to clarify his comments.
"An interview I gave to Paris Match implies I said something racist about Idris Elba," he wrote on Saturday. "That is simply untrue. #Lost in translation."
Last winter, emails between Sony execs eyeing Elba for the film franchise were leaked as part of a massive hack of the studio. In December, popular conservative talk radio host Limbaugh drew controversy when he said Bond, originally depicted in stories written by Ian Flemming, was supposed to be "white and Scottish." He also said he knows "it's racist" to say this.
Elba, a 42-year-old British hottie known for his work on The Wire and Luther...and his sharp sense of humor, had responded to the rumors in a very Idris Elba-kind of way.
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, 61, who played 007 in four movies in the '90s and '00s, had said last month that he thought Elba would make a good Bond.
Daniel Craig, who is white and British, played the character in the past three movies and is the first onscreen blond Bond. The 47-year-old actor reprises his role in the upcoming film Spectre, which also stars Inglorious Basterds villain Christoph Waltz. A teaser trailer was released on Friday. Watch it here.