Los Angeles, Sep 3 (IANS): Actor Idris Elba, who was deemed "too street" to play the world-famous spy James Bond, has responded to the comment in the most classy way, by asking all to “always keep smiling” as he learned it from the “street” itself.

Anthony Horowitz, the author of the James Bond novel "Trigger Mortis", did not think that Elba was the right choice to play Bond, and called the "Prometheus" actor “too street” for the role.

Elba addressed the issue on Instagram on Tuesday, by posting a screenshot of the article, reports aceshowbiz.com.

He captioned the image: "Always Keep Smiling!! It takes no energy and never hurts! Learned that from the Street!! #septemberstillloveyou".

Horowitz earlier said that there are many other black actors who deserve the role more than Elba.

“Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better. For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It's not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too 'street' for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah,” he said.

However, Horowitz soon apologised for his comments on Twitter.