Idris Elba clarifies his remark that he no longer calls himself a 'black actor'

Idris Elba is clarifying his recent comment! The 'Luther' actor, who is currently promoting his upcoming film 'Luther: The Fallen Sun', recently faced a backlash after he said that he no longer calls himself a black actor.

While talking about race and racism in Hollywood, the actor said during an interview with Esquire U.K. that he no longer refers to himself as a 'black actor'.

However, now after the backlash he received, Elba took to Twitter to clarify his remarks. In the tweet, he said that he does consider himself a Black man, as he added that actors are not defined by race.

''There isn’t a soul on this earth that can question whether I consider myself a black man or not,''Elba wrote.

''Being an ‘actor’ is a profession, like being an 'architect', they are not defined by race. However, if YOU define your work by your race, that is your responsibility. Ah, Lie?''

In his Esquire interview, Elba shared,''I stopped describing myself as a black actor when I realized it put me in a box.''

''We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin.''

Further, he added, ''Of course, I’m a member of the Black community. You say a prominent one. But when I go to America, I’m a prominent member of the British community.''

''Racism is very real,''he said at the time. ''But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be.''

Idris Elba is currently promoting his upcoming Netflix film 'Luther: The Fallen Sun'. The film will release in theatres on February 24. It will also stream on Netflix on March 10.