>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OH, MY
FRIENDS. MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT
IS AN ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "ONCE UPON A TIME
IN HOLLYWOOD" AND "ELVIS."
HE NOW STARS IN THE LIMITED SERIES "MASTERS OF THE AIR."
>> PILOT AND NAVIGATOR, JUST UNDER 600 GALLONS LEFT.
>> LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT BE MORE LIKE 750 AT PRESENT SPEED.
WE'VE BEEN LEAKING FUEL. >> ROGER.
>> LEAD PILOTS OR CREW. WE NEED TO STRETCH THE RANGE AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE. DUMP EVERYTHING NOT BOLTED DOWN.
GUNS, AMMO, EVERYTHING. >> BOMBARDIER TO PILOT.
>> WE ARE OVER WATER. LET IT GO.
RELEASE THE TURRETS. LET IT GO.
RELEASE THE TURRETS. >> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME
TO "THE LATE SHOW," AUSTIN BUTLER.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪
>> Austin: YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.
>> Stephen: VERY NICE. >> Austin: YOU'VE GOT THE BEST
BAND. >> Stephen: IT'S LOVELY TO
MEET YOU. I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO
YOU FOR "ELVIS" BOOK GOOD GRACIOUS, WATCH A TREMENDOUS
PERFORMANCE. >> Austin: THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU REALLY CAPTURED THE LARGER-THAN-LIFE
QUALITIES. EXTRAORDINARY.
I UNDERSTAND "MASTERS OF THE AIR" WAS THE FIRST THING YOU DID
AFTER "ELVIS." WAS THERE ANY OVERLAP?
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS RIGHT AFTER?
>> Austin: I STARTED A WEEK AFTER.
I HAD A WEEK OFF AFTER "ELVIS." >> Stephen: HOW LONG DID YOU
WORK ON "ELVIS?" >> Austin: THREE YEARS.
>> Stephen: THREE YEARS AS THE KING AND THEN STRAIGHT OVER TO
THIS. >> Austin: IT WAS ALMOST TOO
FAST. I WAS HAVING DINNER WITH
TOM HANKS IN AUSTRALIA THAT HE WAS SORT OF JOKING SAYING YOU'RE
GOING TO LOSE YOUR MIND WHEN YOU FINISH THIS THREE YEARS OF YOUR
LIFE FOCUSED ON THIS ONE THING. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND
SOMETHING ELSE TO JUMP RIGHT INTO AFTERWARDS.
THE OTHER PRODUCER, PAT McCORMICK, A GOOD FRIEND OF
MINE, HE SAID WELL, TOM. FIND HIM SOMETHING TO DO AND TOM
SAID WELL, I'VE GOT THIS WORLD WAR II THING I'M WORKING
ON. >> Stephen: JUST HAPPENED TO
HAVE IT HERE. >> Austin: JUST RIGHT HERE.
>> Stephen: THREE YEARS OF ELVIS.
I MEAN, THAT MUST'VE BEEN INTENSE.
>> Austin: YEAH. IT WAS A LOT.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT TRANSITION LIKE?
INTO THIS? WAS IT HARD TO LET GO?
>> Austin: YEAH. I WAS JUST TRYING TO REMEMBER
WHO I WAS. I WAS TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT I
LIKED TO DO. ALL I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS ELVIS
FOR THREE YEARS. AND THEN I HAVE THAT WEEK OFF.
AND THEN I FLEW TO LONDON AND THEN AT THAT TIME, IT WAS COVID
SO I'M QUARANTINING FOR TEN DAYS.
I THOUGHT ALL RIGHT, JUST FOR ALL HIS ENERGY INTO LEARNING
ABOUT WORLD WAR II. >> Stephen: HOW WOULD ELVIS
FLY A PLANE? >> Austin: EXACTLY.
I HAD A DIALECT COACH JUST HELP ME NOT SOUND LIKE ELVIS.
>> Stephen: WOW. >> Austin: THE WHOLE THING.
>> Stephen: THE SHOW IS, IT'S ALL ABOUT THESE PILOTS BASED IN
LONDON. VERY DANGEROUS MISSIONS OVER THE
EUROPEAN THEATER. DID YOU LEARN TO FLY A PLANE?
HOW DEEPLY TO DO GO INTO CHARACTER?
>> Austin: AT THE TIME I REALLY BELIEVED I COULD FLY A
PLANE. NOW I REALIZE.
IT WAS A B-17. IF WE ARE FLYING.
>> Stephen: DID YOU TAKE LESSONS?
>> Austin: YEAH, WE HAD A PILOT THERE WHO TAUGHT US.
WE HAD FLIGHT SIMULATORS. >> Stephen: BUT IN A PINCH,
THE PILOT IS PASSED OUT. "I PLAY PILOT."
>> Austin: I THINK I HAVE THE CONFIDENCE.
>> Stephen: RIGHT. >> Austin: TOM CRUISE WERE
PROBABLY A LOT BETTER. >> Stephen: TOM CRUISE FLIES
PLANES. >> Austin: I WOULD TRUST HIM
FOR SURE. >> Stephen: YOU HAVE ENOUGH
CONFIDENCE THE YOU COULD CONVINCE OTHER PEOPLE YOU COULD
FLY A PLANE. SO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE
GROUND, THEY WOULD BE GOING, THIS IS GOING TO WORK.
>> Austin: YEAH, I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
>> Stephen: SO YOU DID ALL THIS INTENSE RESEARCH.
IS THIS A REAL PERSON? >> Austin: YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHO IS THE MAN YOU ARE PLAYING?
>> Austin: HIS NAME IS BUCK CLEVEN.
HIS REAL NAME IS GALE CLEVEN BUT THEY CALLED HIM BUCK.
HE WAS SUCH A BRAVE MAN. HE JOINED UP BEFORE
PEARL HARBOR. >> Stephen: DID HE KNOW
SOMETHING WAS COMING? >> Austin: YOU ALMOST FEEL IT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID BUCK CLEVEN KNOW AND WHEN DID HE KNOW
IT IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. SO HE SIGNS UP BEFORE.3
>> Austin: AND THE THING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW.
I KNEW A LOT ABOUT WORLD WAR II BUT WITH THE 100TH BOMB GROUP
WAS DOING AT THAT TIME TO STOP HITLER.
THAT ORIGINAL HUNDREDTH BOMB GROUP, 77 PERCENT DIDN'T MAKE IT
BACK. STATISTICALLY WHAT THEY WERE
GOING INTO WAS THE MOST VOLATILE SITUATION A HUMAN BEING CAN PUT
THEMSELVES IN. IT'S NEGATIVE 50 DEGREES UP
THERE. THERE IS, THERE'S ANTIAIRCRAFT.
FIRE. FIGHTER PILOTS, IT'S SO
INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. >> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW HOW
MANY MISSIONS HE FLEW? >> Austin: I DON'T WANT TO
SPOIL IT. >> Stephen: THEN DON'T.
DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING. >> Austin: THE IDEA --
>> Stephen: LET'S NOT TALK ANYMORE.
LET'S JUST, WE WILL JUST SIT. WE WILL JUST STARE.
I UNDERSTAND. I WAS HESITANT TO ASK IS I DON'T
WANT TO GIVE AWAY AN ENDING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I DON'T WANT TO KNOW IF HE MAKES IT THROUGH THE WAR OR ANYTHING.
IMAGINE WHEN -- COULD THAT BEGINNING WHEN YOU WANTED TO
SHAKE OFF ELVIS AND GET INTO THE BUCK, AND YOU DID RESEARCH.
WAS THERE ANYTHING? YOU'RE A YOUNG MAN.
IT WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORLD WAR II THAT
SURPRISED YOU? >> Austin: TO ME, BECAUSE I
WAS PLAYING THIS PILOT, IT WAS THE STATISTICS.
THE FACT THAT I DIDN'T THINK THAT WHAT THEY WERE DOING UP
THERE WAS AS SCARY AS WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND.
BUT WHEN I STARTED YOU THAT RESEARCH AND TALK TO PILOTS, A
FEW OF THEM ARE STILL ALIVE. I GOT THE CHANCE TO TALK TO THEM
AND THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW TERRIFYING IT WAS WHEN YOU WERE
IN THAT PLANE. >> Stephen: YOU GOT TO TALK TO
THESE MEN? THEY HAVE TO BE IN THEIR LATE
90s. >> Austin: 102.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S HIS NAME? >> Austin: LUCKY LUCKADOO.
THERE WAS ANOTHER VETERAN AND HE WAS 100 AND LUCKY GOES "HE'S
JUST A KID." WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK
BREAK BUT DON'T GO ANYWHERE. WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE
AUSTIN BUTLER, EVERYBODY. STICK AROUND.
