Austin Butler on His Flying Skills After ‘Masters of the Air’ Boot Camp (Exclusive)

Austin Butler and Callum Turner are promoting their new limited series “Masters of the Air,” which follows the real-life heroes of the 100th Bomb Group during World War II.

“Extra’s” Terri Seymour spoke with Callum and Austin about the close bond the group formed after going through boot camp, and their piloting skills!

Callum raved about Austin, saying, “How lucky am I to get to work with Austin for 10 months and hang out with him and be his best mate for that period of time?”

He added, “The other guys too. We built this beautiful bond over boot camp. Two weeks, there’s 120 guys, very competitive, full of energy… everyone determined to put in a shift and show up for the story that we’re telling.”

Calling it a “brotherhood,” Austin commented, “For me, the boot camp was such an incredible experience. We got to strip away everything and it unified us… It was just a feeling of equality... where we were just all starting from one, from that foundation, and learning together.”

When asked if they were confident in flying a plane in real life if a situation called for it, Butler said, “While filming, I really felt that I could take off and land a plane… We learned everything, but a B-17 is very different from a modern plane, so I’m sure that I would get into that cockpit and not know what to do in a modern aircraft, but in a B-17, I felt confident.”

As for Callum, he “wouldn’t want” to fly one in real life, but taking flying lessons “is in the cards.” He said, “I’ve always wanted to do it. I just think it’s the most spectacular thing and freeing.”

Austin said he was honored to play real-life war hero Major Gale “Buck” Winston Cleven in the series. He emphasized, “The world as we know it would not be what it is without their sacrifices, so I just feel so incredibly privileged to bring their story to life.”

Butler also joked about co-star Barry Keoghan, who said that he taught Austin how to box. Austin quipped, “He taught me everything about life.”

Plus, Callum, who has been linked romantically to Dua Lipa, gushed about seeing “Barbie” and thinking it was “amazing.”