Idris Elba Says His Grandfather Influenced His Latest Doc About WWII | THR News Video - video Dailymotion

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Idris Elba is putting a spotlight on WWII soldiers of color. Elba's latest project is National Geographic's documentary special 'Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color,' a four-part series which Elba serves as executive producer and narrator, unearthing the unsung stories of people of color who served during the 2nd World War. The series weaves a blend of historical dramatizations with curated archival footage and powerful accounts from the veterans' descendants.

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00:00 The history we know about the Second World War is very skewed in one way,

00:04 and we wanted to offer a different perspective.

00:06 Idris Elba is putting a spotlight on World War II soldiers of color.

00:10 Elba's latest project is National Geographic's documentary special, Erased,

00:15 World War II's heroes of color, a four-part series which Elba serves as an executive producer and narrator,

00:21 unearthing the unsung stories of people of color who served during the Second World War.

00:26 The series weaves a blend of historical dramatizations with curated archival footage

00:31 and powerful accounts from the veterans' descendants.

00:34 Ahead of the premiere, Elba, alongside director Cheyenne Brown,

00:37 spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the immense contributions of those who fought for the Allied Forces,

00:43 but whose stories have largely gone untold.

00:46 Why weren't they honored? Why weren't they at the 10-year anniversary, the 20-year anniversary?

00:51 Why did it take 70 years for them to be honored?

00:54 Elba's involvement in the project was partly influenced by his own grandfather,

00:58 who served during World War II, but his time served, the star knows very little about.

01:03 You mentioned that you were inspired to tell the story through your grandfather.

01:07 My granddad was born and raised in Kansas City, from what we understand,

01:12 ended up in the Second World War, did not go back to the States,

01:15 and ended up in Africa where he had a family.

01:18 And, you know, to this day, we don't have a single picture of him.

01:22 And as we have been on this journey making this show, I have, you know, been piecing together that story.

01:29 But Elba notes, while it was the driver behind the doc, it isn't the focus of it.

01:33 It isn't about me, and war isn't a thing to be glorified, but ultimately, you know, history makes man.

01:42 You know, the history we know about the Second World War is very skewed in one way,

01:46 and we wanted to offer a different perspective.

01:48 Each episode focuses on different extraordinary heroes, from a 16-year-old New Yorker to an aristocrat from India.

01:55 Elba shared one of the most interesting things he personally learned from the documentary.

01:59 There was a sort of focus on Black and brown people in the army,

02:06 and it was specifically to populate more Black and brown people into the army.

02:13 As for Brown, the director helmed episode two, which puts the spotlight on the only all-Black combat unit to fight on the D-Day beaches,

02:21 and spoke about the moving conversations she had when she met the descendants of the D-Day war heroes.

02:26 They remember America in the '30s and the '40s, and hearing them talk about the Jim Crow era and, you know, have its segregation,

02:37 and then also speak about how they met their husbands, it was really powerful.

02:42 Stephen Woodson, it was the first time he went to Normandy, so we traveled with him from the States to France,

02:49 and we were on the D-Day beaches.

02:52 Quite emotional as well, which, you know, is understandable, and I think it comes across a lot in the film.

02:59 There's a lot of emotion.

03:00 'Erased World War II's Heroes of Color' premiered on National Geographic and is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

03:07 For the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.

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Idris Elba Says His Grandfather Influenced His Latest Doc About WWII | THR News Video

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