Bram van der Vlugt: ‘Soot sweep is the new normal’ | Entertainment

entertainment">The 86-year-old actor can be seen in the cinema from next week The Great Sinterklaas Movie. He thinks it is strange that there are still people in the Netherlands who claim that Piet should be jet black. “Soot sweep piet is the new normal,” he emphasizes. “Or Petes with no smudges at all. Or girls with ponytails. These Petes are the new normal, just like corona is the new normal. ”

entertainment">Van der Vlugt never understood why people want to stick to the traditional Zwarte Piet. “I have been dealing with Sinterklaas since 1986,” he says. “And during that entire period we never used the term Zwarte Piet during the entries. That word never occurred. The color of the helpers should not refer to the past, not to our colonial past. ”

Erica Terpstra

entertainment">In The Great Sinterklaas Movie sit more prominent. Peter R. de Vries can be seen in the cinema for the first time in more than five years, in the role of a detective. Also VVD celebrity Erica Terpstra plays along and can be seen as mayor. In the new film, Sinterklaas has to go camping because his castle no longer meets modern building requirements.

entertainment">Both Erica and Peter would not have participated in De Grote Sinterklaas film if it had been Black Petes. “When I was called to participate, I immediately had two questions,” said the former top athlete at the table Jinek. “What are we doing with corona? Because we can’t talk to Santa Claus at a meter and a half. And what do we do with the Zwarte Pieten? ” Fortunately for Terpstra, there are no Pieten in the new film. “And no servants, but employees. He throws a big party and he can only do that with employees. ”

entertainment">According to Erica, who plays mayor in the new Sint film, Zwarte Piet is never intended to be racist. “People who still adhere to that tradition are also not racists to me. But if you know that people are hurt and bullied with Zwarte Piet, then you can have compassion, right? ”

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