In the ambitious Netflix series Human Playground 24 sports are covered, from reindeer racing in Finland to capoeira war dance in Brazil to stick fighting (‘donga’) in Ethiopia. But ask Idris Elba, the British actor of Luther and The Wire who is invariably referred to as the new – and first black – James Bond, which of those sports he would most like to do, and he talks about an old tradition from Friesland. ‘I’d love to have a blast. Climbing the pole looks fun and tough. And I like the history of it, of the farmers having to cross ditches.’
Elba (50) gives a telephone interview the Volkskrant because of his involvement in Human Playground. It is the first documentary produced in the Netherlands that can be seen worldwide on Netflix. Elba is the voice-over and executive producer of the six-part series, which was filmed in 25 countries. How did he get involved in the Dutch initiative? “I was invited to see the first episode and immediately loved it. I wanted to participate in such a series, which shows stories that we have not seen before. I’ve learned so much about cultures.’
Human Playground depicts the universal need for sport and play. In the first episode it is about the Paris-Roubaix cycling race and the camera follows the Dutch Ellen van Dijk. She starts out as one of the favorites, but goes down hard twice. The footage showing her tires slipping and her helmeted head bouncing off the cobblestones are horribly detailed. Later another Dutchman passes by: in the fierljeppen dairy farmer Ysbrand Galama – ‘If you have the Dutch record, you are also a world record holder’ – does not fulfill his favorite role either.
Many of the sports featured in Human Playground passing have been practiced by local communities for centuries. Much attention is paid to traditions and rituals. For example, you can see how a screeching bumblebee of the Betsileo, an ethnic group from Madagascar, is circumcised, after which his grandfather puts the foreskin in his mouth and, with the help of a banana, swallows it. This is followed by a ceremonial week of sports, such as savika, a deadly mix of bullfighting and rodeo, captured with beautiful drone footage. “I found it fascinating to see how much risk they take,” says Elba. “Instead of avoiding the bull, they cling to it.”
The sports that Elba takes part in are also not without danger. Besides football – he is a big Arsenal fan – he does kickboxing. Five years ago, when he was 44, he made his professional debut. After a year of preparation, during which he was followed for the documentary Idris Elba: Fighter, he took on the more than ten years younger Dutchman Lionel Graves. “He fought at Mike’s Gym, a respected kickboxing gym,” Elba says. “Because of that documentary, I had so much to lose that I wasn’t willing to lose.” He knocked out Graves in the first round.
Elba, who grew up in Hackney, a poor neighborhood in London, has his own boxing gym, which can be seen in the NPO 3 broadcast Idris Elba’s Fight School. Eight young people from deprived areas receive three months of training. This is not his only sign of social commitment: he supports cancer research, is committed to the fight against AIDS and, together with his wife, is UN ambassador for the International Fund for Agricultural Development. In that capacity, he met last year with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The versatile Elba is an actor above all else. In the crime drama The Wire between 2002 and 2004, he played the cold-blooded drug lord Stringer Bell, according to Esquire ‘the best character in the best TV show ever’. Another memorable role was that of the tormented detective John Luther in the series Luther (2010-2019). In the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) he played Nelson Mandela – the South African freedom fighter died on the night of the gala premiere.
Human Playground started as a photo book by the Flemish photographer Hannelore Vandenbussche. When she wanted to turn it into a multimedia project, she teamed up with the Dutchman Isidoor Roebers of the producer Scenery. Together they went to Netflix, which responded positively. Wealthy entrepreneur Marcel Boekhoorn got involved as an executive producer.
Elba liked working with Dutch people. “The director, Tomas Kaan, is incredibly innovative,” he says. “Many subjects in the series are culturally delicate, and he handled them very skillfully.” He came to Amsterdam a number of times to record the voice-over. ‘I sailed through the canals for the first time. Considering my height (1.89 meters, red.) I was quite nervous as we approached bridges, but it turned out okay.’
Human Playground is available on Netflix.
The idea of the series Human Playground comes from the Flemish photographer Hannelore Vandenbussche, who has lived in the Netherlands for fifteen years. She previously traveled the world for the photo book Before They Pass Away from Jimmy Nelson. After her trip around the world, she herself financed a test episode of Human Playground. It is also the title of her photo book of the same name.