Idris Elba narrates and executive produced Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color, which is a four-part National Geographic docuseries. All episodes, including Shianne Brown’s “D-Day,” are currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color is a gripping journey to uncover the long-lost legacies of soldiers of color during the Second World War. Executive produced and narrated by Idris Elba, this landmark series sheds light on the immense contributions of over eight million individuals who fought heroically for the Allied forces and whose stories have largely gone untold.
“They were all as impactful as the stories are in reality and seeing them in a televisual component was like, wow. Having to match that and trying to contribute that with my voice, it was [all] emotional, if I’m going to be honest with you,” the actor expressed. “The reason why it was, I think, is because narration has to be, in my opinion, supportive. It can’t be an opinion piece. This isn’t ‘Idris Elba Says,’ this voice is guiding your absorption of this story but at the same time, having the sort of emotion that you hope the audience will be feeling.”
The director shared, “I think the key in honoring these heroes through documentary is you get a sense of the personal journey and you hear the men themselves — their story, in their words and I think that’s something that really transcends time, really, that oral history. We were able to do something new to it and modern by having our drama recreations on top of how the men were explaining what happened to them when they landed at D-Day, what their lives were like during training, and what life was like afterwards. So I think it’s a way of having that documentation there and then, hopefully, in the future, there’ll be more series and stories to unearth like this.”
We discussed the key to honoring these heroes, the impact of their legacies, and which storytelling elements stood out to them.
Watch my interview below:
