Emmy spotlight: Callum Turner soars in ‘Masters of the Air’
Callum Turner is so best known for his role as Theseus Scamander in the two “Fantastic Beasts” movies “The Crimes of Grindelwald” and “The Secrets of Dumbledore.” Now, however, he’s swapped wands and wizards for Hollywood royalty. He stars in “Masters of the Air,” from executive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
The Apple TV+ series follows the members of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing B-17 heavy bomber unit, who served in the Eighth Air Force during WWII. Turner stars in the plum role of Major John “Bucky” Egan, who was a real pilot during the war. Turner here proves not just that he’s a great actor but also that he’s got the star quality to go toe-to-toe with the mighty charisma of both Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan. Plenty of critics have singled Turner out as the star of the show and one of the biggest reasons to watch “Masters of the Air.”
Daniel Fienberg (The Hollywood Reporter) explained: “With the more volatile character, Turner quickly emerges as the show’s true star, especially in the second half, when he has individual episodes that let him briefly play romantic lead and action star. Theirs is a good and believable on-screen friendship, even if Turner is consistently the more interesting presence.”
Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) opined: “Turner, whose boisterous, intense, larger-than-life turn embodies the series’ spirit. Even in a crowded venture such as this, Turner is the standout, radiating a confidence, fury, and loyalty—to his brothers in arms, and to the American air campaign—that’s prickly and multifaceted, and makes him the proceedings’ compelling center of attention.”
Phil de Semlyen (Time Out) observed: “But it’s English actor Callum Turner who steals the show as Cleven’s hard-drinking, American-Irish buddy and fellow major, John ‘Bucky’ Egan. His arc is the show’s: a steely defiance and cockiness that’s reshaped into something much more resigned and world-weary as he watches so many friends and comrades go down in flames. Watch him and you’ll feel the true soul of this stirring but realistically melancholy epic.”
This could be the swell of support that Turner needs to get his Emmy campaign off the ground and, er, into the skies. Turner looks like he’ll be competing in the Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor category rather than the leading actor category, which is reserved for Butler.
This would be Turner’s first-ever Emmy bid but this category often rewards newbies. There have been plenty of performers who earn their first nomination in this category, such as “Beef” stars Young Mazino and Joseph Lee, “The White Lotus” trio Murray Bartlett, Jake Lacy, and Steve Zahn, plus the likes of Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Evan Peters (“Mare of Eastttown”), and Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”).
And while plenty of character actors land bids in this category, so, too, do charismatic leading man types, such as Mazino (“Beef”), Will Poulter (“Dopesick”), Lacy (“The White Lotus”), “Hamilton” duo Jonathan Groff and Anthony Ramos, Finn Wittrock (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”), and Alexander Skarsgård (“Big Little Lies”).
Come to think of it, plenty of performers get nominated here for “supporting” roles that actually feel like co-leads, such as Bartlett (“The White Lotus”), Brodie-Sangster (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”), Jesse Plemons (“Fargo”), and Martin Freeman (“Sherlock: His Last Vow”). Turner’s role certainly has that quality, so he could be on the Emmy radar for a number of reasons.
We also expect “Masters of the Air” to be a big Emmys player. Hanks and Spielberg’s previous wartime epic miniseries, “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” both won Best Miniseries with the former winning seven awards and the latter taking home eight gongs. If “Masters of the Air” is received in the same way, Turner could get taken along for the ride.
However, the only downside here is that neither “Band of Brothers” nor “The Pacific” were nominated for any acting awards. However, while both of these series had plenty of talented actors amongst their rosters, there were no real standout names. The draws there were the extensive casts.
“Masters of the Air,” however, has a more focal point — namely in duo Butler and Turner. So, we think that this wartime miniseries may receive more attention for its performances and the charisma of Turner could be the one to grab the largest share of awards praise. If he did, he’d receive his first-ever Emmy nomination.
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