But the thing that required the most endurance?
Their (not officially sanctioned by production) cockpit contest.
No one wanted to take the stairs to get up into the plane.
Austin Butler and Callum Turner in ‘Masters of the Air’.Apple TV+
It’s really tight there, and then you get into the cockpit.
Butler sheepishly admits he won, after Turner bemoans his lack of prowess.
Austin was the quickest, Turner says.
Barry Keoghan in ‘Masters of the Air’.Apple TV+
Unfortunately for me, I did it in 5.2.
Its obviously a stain on my legacy.
We had never tackled war in the air, says Goetzman.
Nate Mann in ‘Masters of the Air’.Apple TV+
After being inspired by Don’s book, it was time to attack that.
Stevens always had a great desire for us to do the air war in Europe.
His dad was a pilot.
He was very knowledgeable about the planes and the way battles were fought.
Filming began over three years ago, while COVID-19 restrictions were still at their high point.
But Goetzman and the team have practically earned a military commendation for producing these stories at this point.
So, they started with their tried and true method boot camp and total immersion in the era.
So, to be honest, I was a bit starstruck by him.
I wanted to get his essence, rather than trying to mimic him in any way, he notes.
Which was fun because he ate a lot of crap and drank a lot.
Butler found inspiration in surviving footage of Cleven.
Also how focused he was and how precise he was and how much he loved his wife.
That love that carried him through the [war] really taught me a lot.
He was obsessed with the Yankees, Turned adds.
He was obsessed with New York even though he’d never been.
At one point the statistic was that only one in four men would make it back, details Butler.
Theres the psychological horrors of that reality.
The combination of those two polar opposites can take its toll on people’s psyche.
That dichotomy will be probed throughout the nine-episode series.
The battle in the air was unique and changed the course of the war and history, he concludes.
The dedication of these young men was instrumental in our eventual victory.
