Ben Radcliffe - The Zephyr Song
Ben wears corduroy suit by SIRPLUS
British actor Ben Radcliffe, whose impressive filmography includes notable roles in Netflix's Anatomy of a Scandal, CW's Pandora, and his lead role alongside John Travolta in Disney's The Shepherd. Currently, Ben can be seen as series regular John D. Brady, starring opposite Callum Turner and Austin Butler in the highly anticipated Apple TV series Masters of the Air, the sequel to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's acclaimed 'Band of Brothers.'
The series is based on Donald Miller’s 2007 book of the same title and explores the stories of American soldiers who brought the war to Hitler’s doorsteps during WW2, and the series not only pays homage to the historical events of World War II but also delves into the personal stories and relationships that defined the lives of those who served during that time. Make sure to read our exclusive conversation below.
Photographer: Ryan Blackwell / Stylist: Sylvester Yiu
Grooming: Josh Knight @ Caren using Hæckels
Ben Radcliffe interviewed by Can Rusen in London
Hi Ben, what drew you to audition for Masters of the Air?
Ben Radcliffe: Well, there are some huge names involved in the project. So, when the audition came through, mentioning that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were producing it, it was hard for me to turn it down. It was an incredible opportunity, and I knew that I really wanted to be involved in it.
The show is about the 100 Air Force and WW2, can you tell us more about the show from your experience?
BR: Well, yeah, the story follows the actions of the 100th bomb group during World War Two, but the main purpose of the show is to educate people. So people can learn about history from this show, and a lot of people will realise the things that these really, really brave men did, just because they were asked to do it. The sheer terror of being 14,000 feet in a tin can while people are shooting at you is absolutely terrifying, and there are just so many little details put in the series that are so accurate about the war.
Also the bravery! Like, these guys are just heroes. So it's really exciting for me to portray one of those guys and honour the family of John D. Brady, my character. I've also spoken to a lot of his relatives , and they've all reached out. They are really excited about the show. So, It is an honour to be a part of it, and it’s nice for people to learn what these guys did.
Since you touched on the small war-related details already, is it correct that you were instructed by Dale Dye, who is known to have contributed to one of the biggest war projects ever and who also used to be a real-life soldier, right?
BR: yeah, yeah, yeah
Could you tell us more about that?
BR: Yeah, well, Dale Dye actually shouted at me on my very first day on set. I got to the boot camp, and I arrived a few days late because I was just finishing off filming Anatomy of a Scandal. When I got there, he told me to go and put on my flight overalls, because we were all putting our costumes on and doing all these marching drills and things. But, I didn’t have one, so I went and asked him. I said, ‘Excuse me, I haven't got my flight overalls’. And he was like, ‘Well, let's go see what you do have’, and he opened the door for me. I then answered a question he had asked me with ‘Okay’, instead of ‘Yes, sir’. And he screamed at me, ‘This is the last time you will say okay to me, it is YES SIR’. And then everyone looked at me; it was horrifically embarrassing. I was kind of terrified of him after that moment, but somehow it completely turned around. When I was first on set, he came up to me and said, ‘ You’re doing an incredible job, kid’. And I was like, oh, I’ve earned Dale Dye’s respect! It felt really good. He’s just an icon.
What was it like to be directed by all these powerhouse directors, such as Cary Joji, Anna Boden, and Ryan Fleck?
BR: Yeah, they were awesome. You know, it's a huge, huge thing to be directed by them. They were doing so many different things at the same time. We were speaking to them a lot of the time through earpieces because we were filming inside these simulators, which is how we did the plane scenes. So the plane is on a gimbal, which moves around, and out the window is a high-definition LED screen. You can actually see all the planes coming towards you, and you see what you would see if you were in the sky. So yeah, it was quite an interesting way to work. But they were all brilliant and added all of those little extra details that really made the TV show so special.
Oh wow! So, it was CGI that you used in the cockpit scenes?
BR: Yes, it is CGI, but rather than a green screen, they used LED screens so we could see things. It's great as an actor because you don't have to act. You can just see everything. You don't have to pretend that there's a plane coming towards you. You see it. The technology was honestly mind-blowing.
From looking into your filmography, I can tell that you’ve been starring in some heavy, and leading roles, such as The Shepherd and also The Anatomy of a Scandal, are there other types of characters, or roles that you’d like to play?
BR: Yeah, I mostly auditioned for the cool guy. And it'd be quite nice to play someone a bit more vulnerable, with a few demons to battle. I also want to do something exciting, you know, like, like, Fight Club. I'd like to be Brad Pitt in Fight Club.
Is there one dream project you’d like to be in?
BR: Honestly, I don't know. I don't think about it and just I enjoy the experience of being on set and working. It's about that for me. And to be honest, I just want to do something fun. I enjoy quite physical roles. So Masters of the Air was amazing, because it's such a physical film to do with all of the action. I love the action. So some more action kind of things. But, I’m also just enjoying the ride, and we'll see what comes next.
Corduroy suit by SIRPLUS
What else do you enjoy doing alongside acting?
BR: I like golf (laughs). Before I decided that I wanted to be an actor, I really wanted to be a cinematographer. I've got quite an interest in filmmaking and making my own films. I've done a fair amount of that over the past six or seven years. That's what me and my friends would do. We’d hang out and come up with film ideas. We actually made quite a few films. We managed to get a budget together for the last film we created. We used a film set in Bulgaria and flew a lot of people out to make this dance concept film. It doesn't take itself too seriously and is a good bit of fun. We had the best time making it.
A dance concept film? That sounds cool! What kind of projects can audiences expect from you next?
BR: Yeah, I'm starting filming pretty soon for a Netflix show. It is quite exciting as it is my kind of thing you know, it's a lot of action and a character that I really like. I'm excited about the next one.
Finally, what do you think our magazine’s title SID stands for?
BR: Stand In Design. I don't know what is it? Is it Stand?
You can be imaginative!
BR: It is abbreviated? I thought it was a name. I thought someone was called Sid, like Sid (the sloth) from Ice Age.
Oh, we had that before!