Masters of the Air star talks the upcoming war drama and working with "beautiful actor" Austin Butler
Jan. 11, 2024EXCLUSIVE | Callum Turner teases the latest show from the team behind Band of Brothers and The Pacific
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Masters of the Airis without a doubt one of the mosthighly anticipated TV showsof the year. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it serves as a companion piece to their other two war dramas Band of Brothers and The Pacific. This time however the focus is on the United States Army Air Force, following the story of the 100th Bomb Group who were nicknamed the ‘Bloody Hundredth’ due to the heavy losses they suffered during combat missions against the Nazis. And if that hasn’t already got you excited about the series, thecast listcertainly will as it stars - deep breath - Austin Butler, Ncuti Gatwa, Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner, and many more.
It’s a project Turner can’t wait to release to the world, as he revealed on the recent press tour for his new movieThe Boys in the Boat. For that sports drama the actortrained for five monthsto be able to portray the real-life Olympic medal-winning rower Joe Rantz. And in order to play Major John Egan in Masters of the Air, a similar level of preparation was required.
However, as Turner revealed whilst in conversation with GamesRadar+ and theInside Total Film podcast, it was a very different process: “The training for that was completely different as it was more academic rather than physical. We couldn’t fly the planes for real so we had to learn everything. At that time, I could tell you how to take off and land a Boeing B-17 as we all had to learn that. Actually - you know, Joe Rantz went on to work for Boeing, helping to build planes. Maybe I should keep moving in that direction then, and just go work for Boeing!” Whilst it is a neat connection between his two projects, we do hope that Turner continues with the acting gig!
Turner also spoke about working alongside Butler, who received critical acclaim for his lead role inElvisand will also be seen inDune 2later this year. After rejecting internet rumors that Butler still had his Elvis accent on-set (sorry Twitter), Turner praised his co-star’s talent: “Hefinished Elvisthen came to us, with maybe four days off in-between. He’s completely different in our show. He has got this John Wayne thing about him. He’s a beautiful actor and I loved working with him.”
Well, consider us fully sold!
The Boys in the Boat is out in US theaters now and will release in UK cinemas on Friday 12th January. Masters of the Air meanwhile will debut on Apple TV Plus on 26th January.
For more from our interview with Turner alongside The Boys in the Boat director George Clooney, we also spoke to the pair abouttrainingfor their new sports drama and whycasting Hitlerfor the film was a strange experience. And don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of theInside Total Film podcastfor the full conversation.
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
As Entertainment Editor at GamesRadar, I oversee all the online content for Total Film and SFX magazine. Previously I’ve worked for the BBC, Zavvi, UNILAD, Yahoo, Digital Spy and more.
A Hulu/Disney Plus fan-favorite with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is coming back for season 2
Sherlock creator Steven Moffat responds to recent revival comments, revealing that he already has an idea for how Benedict Cumberbatch’s detective could return
Todd Howard “rolled his eyes” at the idea of Troy Baker playing Indiana Jones in the Great Circle, but the Bethesda boss later told him “you’re doing a hell of a job”
