Barry Keoghan: 'As an Irishman, we tend to bring the humour to soften extreme situations'

As gripping bomber pilot war drama Masters Of The Air comes to Apple TV+, Rachael Davis hears from stars including Irish actors Barry Keoghan and Anthony Boyle.

Barry Keoghan in Masters of the Air: 'It was quite a tight space, and you’ve gotta know every single switch around you.' Picture: Courtesy of Apple

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are no strangers to a war drama about grit, resolve and brotherhood.

From the 1998 epic Saving Private Ryan, directed by Spielberg and starring Hanks, to the 2001 series Band of Brothers, which they created, and its 2010 companion piece The Pacific, which they produced, telling the story of a team of young soldiers protecting each other through thick and thin has been something of a collaborative theme for the industry legends.

Now, Spielberg and Hanks are returning to serve as executive producers on Masters Of The Air, an Apple TV+ series starring Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle and Barry Keoghan, which tells the story of the US Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, or ‘Bloody Hundredth’, during the Second World War – a companion piece to Band Of Brothers and The Pacific.

The 100th Bomb Group’s unfortunate nickname was coined thanks to the heavy losses the unit incurred during combat, with 177 aircraft going missing in action.

While the tragedy is undoubtedly a huge part of the Hundredth’s story, Masters Of The Air tells a tale of brotherhood, determination, bravery and friendship, based on Donald L Miller’s book Masters Of The Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany.

“I didn’t know about any of the characters we were playing – and each day was a school day,” says Irish actor Anthony Boyle, 29, who won an Olivier for originating the role of Scorpius Malfoy in the West End and Broadway productions of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.

“Reading the script was one layer, then reading the books that these men had written was another, and then stepping into their shoes and trying to really empathise and sympathise with what they were going through day to day, and what it was like to go up into the sky in those tin cans … a lot of work went into it.” 

Boyle plays navigator Major Harry Crosby in the series, working closely alongside Elvis star Austin Butler as pilot Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven, Fantastic Beasts star Callum Turner as Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan, and Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan as pilot Lt Curtis Biddick.

“Biddick, I’d like to say he brings that humour in these very extreme situations, especially when death is there, you know,” says Dublin-born Keoghan, 31.

“As an Irishman, we tend to bring the humour in a lot, to kind of soften it. So I think Biddick was that, (he) kind of eased a lot of stuff off, and brought that firecracker kind of thing into it.” 

“When I first started reading the script, I’d never seen anyone like Crosby in a war drama,” says Boyle of the role he plays.

“In the first few episodes, I feel like everyone was in Band Of Brothers and Crosby was in some like, comedy movie in the 80s. I was like: ‘What is he doing? What is he going on about?’ 

“I found him so hilarious, and just such a beautiful soul.” 

Rafferty Law in Masters of the Air. 

Joining the cast is Raff Law, son of actors Jude Law and Sadie Frost, as crew chief Sgt Ken Lemmons.

“From day one they’re a very tight-knit, close group,” says Law of the Hundredth.

“And throughout the series, as some lives are lost and more people come in, it was interesting for me as the mechanic, who wasn’t flying the missions, to understand how that relationship changes throughout.

“The mechanics speak a lot about how they didn’t want to give names to people, or get to know people so well, in case they weren’t going to come back, because it kind of humanised them even more.” 

Law says he found it rewarding “representing the ground crew, and being able to show, possibly, a side that isn’t always told and always seen”.

“These (are) guys who are working day and night, fixing the planes, doing their all to make sure that the guys could fly the missions, the heroes who are flying the missions – but they’re these people behind closed doors,” he adds.

The series’ holistic approach to telling the story of the Hundredth was also pertinent for Nate Mann, who plays pilot Major Robert Rosenthal.

“There’s a crew of 10 in every plane that goes up in the sky, and these were men plucked from all over the country, I mean, people who’d never ordinarily cross paths are now taking one another’s lives in each other’s hands,” says Licorice Pizza’s Mann.

“There’s a level of trust and, I think, love that ends up being so important, that wasn’t only foundational to the war effort, but also, of course, an important part of our series.” 

Keoghan found this connection and trust to be a striking element, too, particularly in the scenes where the men are fighting in the air and have to rely on other forms of communication as it’s too loud to speak.

“Connection is … you’re in the cockpit, and for me, it was appreciating the moments that didn’t have dialogue … trying to communicate what was going on,” he says.

“You know, a lot of stuff up there gets lost, it’s loud, and I felt that when we were filming it, as well. So connection is a big one for me, in terms of when we didn’t speak.” 

Cast of Masters of the Air. 

Filming those scenes in the air was intense for the cast, particularly as the film’s crew made it as visual and realistic as possible for them.

“We had replica cockpits, several of them, and they would be on these hydraulic rigs 25 feet up in the air,” Mann explains.

“The rigs would move about in relation to a bunch of screens, like these 360 degree screens, and our visual effects team could actually place the incoming fighters, and we would see them, and then the hydraulic rig would move in relation – it’s all very, very visceral.” 

“Which sounds like a lot of fun, but only when you’ve done it once or twice – it was like being on a continuous Alton Towers ride!” adds Boyle.

“It was quite a tight space, and you’ve gotta know every single switch around you … making it look organic up there was the trick,” says Keoghan.

“You’ve got, I think, four or five layers on, and you’re sweating, which kind of adds to it.” 

“It’s all within the eyes,” Keoghan adds of the performance in those tense cockpit action scenes.

“If you can convey what’s going on through the eyes, I think you’re doing a good thing.

“But yeah, it was quite intense. Definitely quite intense.” 

• Masters Of The Air comes to Apple TV+ on Friday January 26.