The brilliant minds behind Masters of the Air knew what attention they would bring after putting together some of Hollywood’s most desired actors for the war series.
Set during World War II, the television miniseries sees Callum Turner (Major John Egan), Austin Butler (Major Gale Cleven) and Barry Keoghan (LT. Curtis Biddick) unite as airmen, risking their lives in the 100th Bomb Group which suffered incomprehensible losses while carrying out bombings over Nazi Germany.
Callum Turner in Masters of the Air.
(Image: Apple TV+)Despite working on iconic films, Callum revealed to TV WEEK that Masters of the Air director Steven Spielberg “describes this as the biggest production he’s ever been a part of.”
“Which means this is serious,” he began. “We had this old school way of doing things, but we also had the future.”
“They left no stone unturned; they gave us everything – the base where they lived and where they ate is all real, live sets. There was even a church in there for the chaplain, and when they built that, they gave us a map that just tells you how big it was.”
Masters of the Air released late-January.
(Image: Apple TV+)In order to give the scenes the most realistic feel, the boys were placed on a gimble 30 feet in the air, moving in sync with the images.
“So, if there’s a fighter jet coming towards you, you see it happening, the plane going down and it looks real,” Callum said.
“It was probably the best time of my life.”
Based on Donald L. Miller’s 2007 book *Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany*, the actors portrayed very real people who risked their lives during the second world war. Raff Law who plays Sgt. Ken Lemmons revealed his children provided a lot of insight, from his personality right down to his smile.
“I felt very connected to him. He was a leader, he was a team player, he was very selfless. If I had the opportunity to speak to him now, I would salute him and it would be an honour to tell him how proud I am to represent him and his family,” Raff confessed.
To which Barry added: “A massive thank you, and I don’t think that covers it really. At the premiere we got the chance to be in the presence of some of the veterans, it was nice to give them that standing moment and thank them. But again, I don’t think that really covers it.
As of January 26, 2024, Masters of the Air officially premiered on Apple TV+, with episodes being released weekly.
Stream Masters of the Air now on Apple TV+ with a 7 day free trial. Subscribe here.
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