Austin Butler Broke a Rib While Shooting ‘Masters of the Air,’ but He ‘Had to Keep Fighting’: ‘It Was an Honor to Play These Men’
variety.comK.J. Yossman Just a week after wrapping on Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” biopic, Austin Butler arrived in the U.K. to start work on Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ epic World War II drama “Masters of the Air.” He was joined on the Amblin and Playtone co-production by a cast who, like Butler, are poised to become the next generation of Hollywood leading actors, among them Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Anthony Boyle, Ncuti Gatwa and Nate Mann.
Together, the band of brothers went through what was effectively a World War II bootcamp, encompassing lessons on everything from marching and dancing to etiquette and history. “It really built such bonds between all of us,” Butler tells Variety of the experience.
Created by John Shiban and John Orloff, “Masters of the Air” tells the story of the U.S. airforce’s 100th bomb group – nicknamed the Bloody Hundredth for the inordinate loss of life they suffered – who were stationed on the coast of England during the climax of the war.
Butler plays Major Gale “Buck” Cleven while Turner is his best friend, Major John “Bucky” Egan. Together, the natural born pilots shepherd their squadron through some of the deadliest battles of the period until their luck finally runs out.
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