Original-Cin Q&A: Austin Butler, Callum Turner Bring War Heroes to Life in Masters of the Air
By Bonnie Laufer
The new series Masters of the Air follows up Band of Brothers and The Pacific, brought to you by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman.
Based on the book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller, this war epic tells the story of the actions of the elite Eighth Air Force of the United States Army, which during WWII, dropped bombs on Berlin, Hanover, Leipzig and Dresden, destroying enemy targets like rail facilities and oil refineries, while also being expected to engage in air-to-air fighter combat at 25,000 feet.
The missions were highly dangerous and produced many heroes. The series stars Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Raff Law, Barry Keoghan, Josh Bolt and Anthony Boyle. Bonine Laufer spoke with Austin Butler and Callum Turner about portraying these war heroes and how it affected them on a personal level.
Masters of the Air premieres globally on January 26 on AppleTV+. The series will launch with two episodes, followed by one new episode every Friday through March 15.
Click here to watch Bonnie’s interview with stars Barry Keoghan and Raff Law (son of Jude).
Click here to watch Bonnie’s interview with veteran producer Gary Goetzman.
ORIGINAL-CIN: You both have played real-life people on screen before, but the pressure this time around must have been very daunting. Where do you even start to get into the head of Maj. Gale “Buck” Cleven, a true leader and hero.
AUSTIN BUTLER: They were all remarkable. All these guys were just so incredibly brave and there was nobility about them. There was a lot of pressure and there's so much responsibility to get this right. For me it started with the book, Masters of the Air. That was the bedrock and then from there, I just started watching everything that I could from that time and eventually tracked down a home movie that some of Cleven’s family had recorded, him telling stories later on in his life. It was shortly before he passed away. So, he was different in age from the man that I was playing but similar in spirit in the way that he told stories. That helped me to get a grasp of who he was.
O-C: Plus, I’m sure having everyone at boot camp must have been a huge factor in getting you guys into your roles.
AB: Most definitely. We had two weeks of boot camp that we did together with everybody that you see in the show. The amount of brotherhood and camaraderie that we felt during that time was incredible.
O-C: You led me right to my next question. How did the camaraderie between the actors translate onto the screen because you really can’t fake that.
CALLUM TURNER: We were lucky, we liked each other a lot. When Austin and I first met we just hit it off and hung out pretty much for 11 months straight which creates a vacuum for when your real-life kicks in. It happens on a lot of sets, but this one moreso because we were all so close. You spend all this time with someone and these people and then you're on to another project or you're somewhere else and you start missing this little family you’ve created. The boot camp was essential for us to bond. We lost our individuality to the green of the fatigues, and just threw ourselves into it. We had competitiveness and determination to be the best on the squadron and not be left behind. When everyone's put in the same direction, it's an easy thing.
O-C: At the end of the day, you’re working on this massive series with huge production values, but you’re telling these real-life hero stories. How does working on something like this and knowing what these young men did for their country change you.
AB: You know, it's just such an incredible privilege to be a small part of bringing this story to life. I think you can't go through something like this without some kind of change because of the amount of time that you're spending trying to understand their minds, the amount of terror that they were facing, the amount of loss that they experienced, and the amount of bravery to overcome all of that. You can feel it in your soul and so we got to live with that for almost a year. It definitely changes you.
CT: There's a scene towards the end of the series where Austin’s character and I have a drink on the balcony and the fireworks are going off. There was a synergy with what those guys had done that I felt between us and after doing something for 11 months it really sunk in.
Not that I want to compare making a TV series to what these men endured in real-life being at war for two-and-a-half years, but there was a sense of achievement that was possibly one of the greatest I had ever felt in my life, especially at work in that moment. I really felt that we told their story with dignity and truth. I can’t begin to articulate the respect that I have for these guys. It was nothing but a pleasure and honour to have worked on Masters of the Air, an experience I can honestly say will stay with me forever.