Raff Law
In
Apple TV+
Series
Masters of Air
Photography Tyler Patrick Kenny
Fashion Editor Deborah Ferguson
Interview by Laasya Gadiyaram
In Masters of Air, Raf Law takes to the skies. Despite playing a mechanic, Law and his character become fixtures of the series, developing into integral parts of the war effort and centering the work in many ways. Law details how he approached developing this character (and his accent!) as well as what it means to be part of such a significant narrative.
Shirt and Trousers: Brioni, Tartan Shirt (used as a scarf): Vintage Ralph Lauren, Socks: Ralph Lauren, Necklace: Vintage
Turtleneck: Brioni Tartan, Shirt: R13, Jeans: Moschino, Sneakers: Reebok, Belt: Ralph Lauren
Congratulations on Masters of Air! What has the process been like so far?
The process is coming to an end with the last episode airing this Friday. But it started with the audition process, and once I secured the role we were put into a boot camp where we really established the feeling of being a unit. We got to understand our characters and how we fit into the ranks. We filmed throughout 2021 and for the last few months we’ve been able to share Masters of Air with the world! It’s been just an awesome experience with the cast, getting to meet my characters’ families, and to just have the reaction of all these fans of the show, many of whom had a grandparent in the war. Being able to tell the story of Ken Lemons and bring that story to life has been inspiring and heartwarming for a lot of people.
How did you approach developing a character who is already familiar to the public? Sergeant Ken Lemons, the character that I portray, is familiar to people who know the story of the 100th Bombardier Group. But mechanics and the ground crews don’t always get the respect or the praise that a lot of war heroes get because they were on the ground. Lemons wrote a book called The Forgotten Man, an Unsung Mechanic Story, which I read to get the essence of Ken Lemons as a person. Having read his book, I learned that he was a very hard working, humble and natural leader. I just really wanted to find the real human within there. I wanted to see what people like Ken were going through, not only seeing their friends not return from missions, but to be such an integral part of those missions and still face a lot of blame and guilt when the missions didn’t go to plan.
How did you tackle a story that already has an ending, especially one so tragic and so well documented?
From working with Captain Dale Dye at boot camp to doing a lot of research on my own time, like speaking with Ken’s family and reading his book, I balanced out stories and found Ken’s character through there. I really just kind of went along with filming almost as if I didn’t read too far ahead in scripts. I really just kept each day as it should be, and I almost tried not to think too much about what was happening elsewhere within the series. I just really focused on episode by episode and went from there.
Jacket: R13, White Shirt: Calvin Klein, Tartan Shirt: Vintage Ralph Lauren, Jeans: R13, Sneakers: Reebok by Kenzo Minami, Belt: Vintage
What was it like to create your Arkansas accent?
It was a really great process. It was my first time playing someone with a different dialect, and Arkansas has a very particular accent, especially set in the 1940s. I worked with some brilliant dialect coaches on set who really helped put us into the right region. And then it was just repetition and practice. I spent a lot of my own time staying in accent, practicing different poems and thinking in my accent. When I was on set, I would stay within the Arkansas accent as soon as I was in costume. A couple of the crew thought I was American, but I’m actually English!
As a British actor, how has it been working with this storyline so integral to American culture
It’s been a whole experience itself! Telling such an incredible story about these young men who gave up so much has been really inspiring. From day one boot camp to now, I feel like I’ve learned so much and grown as a person. It was just really great to be part of such a big team telling such an incredible story. I’m just really honored to be a part of it.
Most of the air is produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. What have you learned from working with these two Hollywood legends?
To be a part of this series and to just see people working in their own departments has been its own inspiration. I worked with the best of their best from the makeup department to the costume department to the props to the sets. Everyone was just so brilliant to work with and it was such a great collaborative cast and crew.
Jacket and Shirt: R13, Tank and Pants: Vintage, Shoes: Adidas, Socks: Ralph Lauren
Given that such a central focus of the series is the camaraderie between the pilots, how did you develop a bond with your cast members?
It definitely started off with the boot camp. Captain Dale Dye has kind of created this formula of boot camp to get actors to feel that camaraderie. Whether that was marching or singing songs or learning about how to defuse bombs, everyone really got behind each other and had each other’s backs, and we all kind of pushed each other. It was just a really great kind of cast to be a part of.
Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, and Callum Turner are all young leading men like yourself. How has it been to experience this all with them by your side?
“To be able to work alongside such an incredibly talented cast was such a rare and rewarding experience. It is such a big cast and a lot of youth within that cast. From the top there was a constant camaraderie and team feeling within us as a cast”
Did you always know that you wanted to pursue acting?
It’s such a hard thing to say you’ve always known because obviously throughout your teens and young adult life, you’re kind of finding your feet and figuring things out. I’ve always loved telling stories and being a part of collaborative projects, and I’ve been a huge fan of films from a young age. It’s always been something, something I hold close to my heart and yes, I’d say I’ve always wanted to pursue acting.
Jacket: R13, White Shirt: Calvin Klein, Tartan Shirt: Vintage Ralph Lauren, Jeans: R13, Sneakers: Reebok by Kenzo Minami, Belt: Vintage
Do you think your performance adequately honored the men who fought for freedom?
I would really like to think that I made Ken Lemons proud. Having spoken with his family, I know that they’re very happy and proud. All we could do was try and try and give back to these guys and and tell their story as truthfully and realistically as possible. I’m really happy with what the cast and team managed to create, I think it was really beautiful and special.
Much of your work could be categorized as historical and dramatic pieces. Are there any other genres you’d like to explore?
As a film fanatic and a very passionate actor I really want to be able to showcase different types of variety within characters and. And me as I’m just starting out, I really am open to lots of different genres. I’d love to do music biopics. I’d love to do thrillers and dramas, crime, comedy, romance. I mean, that’s the beauty of film is that we have all these incredible different genres and to be able to be a part of, to be able to be a part of them and learn in each process and be able to show. Different sides of your acting is really where I want to be.
Denim Jacket and Jeans: Moschino Couture!, Tank and Belt: Vintage, Shoes: R13
Photography
Tyler Patrick Kenny
Creative Director & Fashion Editor
Deborah Ferguson
Interview
Laasya Gadiyaram
Grooming
Paul Donovan
Web Layout
Naveed Shakoor
Thank you
Premier Communications & Apple TV +