Damson Idris credits Idris Elba for James Bond rumors

Damson Idris has come a long way since Snowfall debuted in 2017. Once able to peacefully eat a meal at Miss Lilly’s in New York City, the actor is now among those mentioned as potentially being the next James Bond.

“Honestly, I credit [Bond rumors] to Idris Elba probably. It’s my last name,” he tells Bustle of the actor, who was previously rumored to be taking on the agent’s role. “So I got to give him those flowers. ‘Oh, let’s get baby Idris if we can’t get big Idris.'”

“I think people are just really encouraged by strong Black male leads,” he continues. “And it’s almost a compliment and a rite of passage really to be held to the esteem of some of these characters. ‘Oh, man, you are tall, Black, handsome, and people gravitate to you, you should play James Bond … you should play this, you should play that.’”

Damson portrays Franklin Saint in FX’s Snowfall, and has gained a slew of celebrity supporters and fans. Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Jonah Hill are all fans of his character, yet the show is a slept-on series compared to The Wire.

“I just think there’s a lot of content today, and people constantly need to be entertained,” Damson says of the show’s reception. “The Wire had a bunch of scenes and episodes where two people or three or four could just be talking and nothing happens. And everyone walks away like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that was the greatest episode in the world.’”

He continues, “In today’s TV climate, if someone isn’t getting their head shot in the first three minutes, all of a sudden it’s the worst episode in the world. And it’s boring.”

Snowfall‘s in its sixth and final season.