Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hope to stomp out stereotypes about polo with their new Netflix present, in keeping with the docuseries’ showrunner, Miloš Balać.
Balać spoke to The Publish on Monday earlier than Tuesday’s launch of Harry and Meghan’s five-episode documentary collection, “Polo,” and revealed that the couple needs viewers to know that the game isn’t nearly rosé and royalty.
Set on the 2024 US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida, “Polo” goes behind the scenes of the match and follows a few of the sport’s greatest gamers and the sacrifices they make for the sport they love.
“Both Prince Harry and Meghan were just amazing collaborators from the start,” stated Balać, who additionally produced Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s soccer docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.”
“They have so much knowledge about the sport, but also an understanding that we’re trying to bring new people into this world.”
In Balać’s eyes, Harry and Meghan introduced distinct views to the challenge.
“Harry comes at it as an athlete himself who’s grown up in this world and is just a pro – expert, expert expert,” the producer defined.
“And then Meghan comes at it more like me,” Balać added, noting that he knew nothing concerning the sport earlier than engaged on the collection.
Meghan, who began relationship Harry in 2016, is now well-versed in all features of the sport; nonetheless, the Duchess of Sussex can relate to what number of “Polo” viewers will see the game.
“And so then it was about sort of taking from each of those perspectives and building out the world the way we did,” Balać shared.
Requested whether or not Harry and Meghan had their very own takes on the challenge, Balać replied, “I think the collective intention was definitely, definitely to grow the audience of polo.”
“I think the difference in approach was that Harry, you know, is really seeing it as ‘look at how incredible these athletes are. Look how incredible these animals are’ which Meghan sees and says the same,” he continued.
“But I think for her, it’s also like, ‘Look at how incredible this community is.’”
He defined, “You know, she’s the one who’s sitting watching from the side of the field and she was there, and we wanted to showcase that part of the world as well, where it really does feel like one big family. I think that was really the feeling we were going for from the start.”
“But the intention was very unified: this is a sport that we think a lot more people will love once they see beyond the stereotypes,” he added of the Duke and Duchess’ motivation in making the present.
“It’s not ‘Pretty Woman.’ It’s not just about [the] rich and glamorous life on a Sunday. That definitely is part of the appeal. You know, that’s undeniable. But that’s on a Sunday, one match a week. The rest of the week is a lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
The game additionally has “a lot of casual fun,” Balać stated. “A lot of people pulling up in their pickup trucks, tailgating, watching a sport they love with their family, with their dogs, taking care of their horses — it really is a lifestyle that I think more people can maybe embrace than they might think.”
Earlier than the present’s launch, many questioned if Harry would seem within the present. To his fan’s delight, the royal is featured closely within the collection’ fifth and last episode, enjoying in a match benefitting his charity, Sentebale, which he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
The group helps susceptible kids in Lesotho and Botswana, together with these residing with HIV/AIDS and psychological well being challenges. It attracts a big quantity of funding from its annual polo match —The Sentebale Polo Cup.
Nevertheless, Harry wasn’t initially purported to be featured as prominently on the present, together with his look ensuing from a serendipitous scheduling overlap.
“The premise of the series was always really to capture polo at its highest level in the US,” Balać informed The Publish. “It was about these athletes and their families.”
However because it seems, this yr’s Sentebale Polo Cup was slated in Wellington, Florida, on the similar time the US Open was happening.
“I think we were all very frankly, pleasantly surprised at the serendipity that the Sentebale charity match this year was scheduled for Wellington, which really was by chance. And so we got to feature the Duke in the project,” Balać stated.
“But otherwise I think we all would have been perfectly happy if he, you know, if it was just about the US Open, because that was always what we thought it would be.”
All 5 episodes of “Polo” can be found to stream now on Netflix.
