With the first two episodes of Masters of the Air now streaming on Apple TV+, I’m thrilled to share my interviews with Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Raff Law, Anthony Boyle, and Nate Mann, who star in the highly anticipated World War II drama. New episodes premiere every Friday through March 15.
Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, and scripted by John Orloff, “Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.
“I’m fascinated by the bravery of this time period, the great generation in a way, but I did not know about the Eighth Air Force. I didn’t know about the 100th and the staggering statistics of the fact that 77 percent wouldn’t make it back, that they’d either end up in a POW camp or would be killed. And so, they were going up into the most treacherous of conditions, and yet I did not know that story,” Butler, who takes on the role of Major Gale Cleven, explained. “For me, being a small part of bringing that story to life and shedding light on the immense bravery that they all showed during that time, and the fact that they sacrificed themselves for the world as it is today and the freedoms that we all have because of them, I think it’s just such an honor and a privilege to be a part of bringing their story to life.”
“Steven Spielberg says this is the biggest production he’s ever been a part of and that just goes to show you the scale,” Turner, who plays Major John Egan, shared. “I just was blown away by the way that these guys work. I just loved being part of their orbit, you know, Steven, Gary [Goetzman], and Tom Hanks. It’s a dream come true to work with people who are your idols and people you’ve watched for years and years and years, and then at the same time, get to tell a story like this. This is an important story and it’s important because these men, they sacrificed their lives for us and it was nothing but an honor.”
“I tend to take and grow with every part I do, and with this and the events of this, was just a massive appreciation and respect to those men, and just the realization of how fucking easy we have it these days in the sense of opportunities, support systems, privileges, and everything that falls under that bracket. Yeah, I kind of walked away with a massive gratitude,” Keoghan, who portrays Lt. Curtis Biddick, told me.
“I’d say from reading Ken’s book and kind of figuring out the arc of Ken throughout, I realized quickly that it was a slightly different character throughout the series, and he kind of has his different eyes on the ground and I kind of wanted to bring that across, which was just a different narrative throughout. He’s not going on the missions but he’s experiencing these lives being lost and this tragedy in a different way,” Law expressed while reflecting on the show and his character. “It was a challenge that I enjoyed, which was kind of trying to get yourself into that headspace and really understand it as much as you can, you know? It puts a lot into perspective, into the lives that we live today, and how lucky we are and all I wanted to do was try and kind of portray the psychological torment that was going on to these young men and these boys that became men and heroes.”
“The level of immersion in it, into what it was like on those planes, I mean, there were so many technical aspects that involved a level of understanding of just like the broad — how these missions worked, how these flight patterns worked, right? And then, for us, on an emotional level, grappling with just the devastation that gets depicted in a show like this involves another aspect of understanding to bring it all together,” Mann, who brings Major Rosie Rosenthal to life on-screen, commented. “It was a full-on effort from start to finish.”
Boyle, who can be seen as Major Harry Crosby, concluded by saying, “Well, I saw a screening last week, it was amazing. It was so swell. There was so many people in there and it was bananas, everyone was going crazy for it. People were screaming, shouting, [and] people were crying. Like, people’s cheeks were visibly moist. It was just such a beautiful experience and I loved it.”
We discussed which aspects of the project challenged each of them and what they personally took away or hope audiences learn from the series.
Watch my interviews below:
