RAFF LAW was born to entertain. So don’t assume that the young musician-turned model-turned-actor booked his way onto our screens purely on the strength of his last name, although it’s not a bad gene pool to come from when it comes to both looks and acting talent. No, this famous progeny is refreshingly forging his own evolution in the spotlight, landing a part in the World War II drama series Masters of the Air, and before that he appeared in the films Repo as Young Remy, and in the dark yet comedic short horror film, Running Man as Fred Love. His breakthrough project came though, in the lead role as Oliver Twist in the 2021 film Twist, a modern re-telling of the Dickens tale.
As the 27-year-old talent rises to prominence, it’s refreshing that Law isn’t content to coast on his celebrity roots, he wants to show the vast spectrum of his acting chops, and with dreams to realise, he’s navigating life on his own terms.
Before we discuss Masters of the Air, can we talk a little bit about what else you’ve been up to - any other new projects, or personal endeavours you’ve been curiously exploring?
Yes, since I finished filming Masters, I’ve been auditioning for lots of projects and I moved to Los Angeles where I live with my girlfriend now, and I’m just really enjoying the process of going up for different roles and figuring out more about myself in those auditions. I’ve also done a few acting courses and shot a film in Athens, and I have a bunch of cool projects on the horizon, so just keeping focused and keeping my head down!
Ok, so, back to Masters of the Air, it’s been over two years since you finished filming. Looking back on that period of making it, were you nervous? were you excited for it to come out?
When I first got the role, it was really overwhelming and exciting for me, and it was everything I had been working towards, and with filming, playing a real person, you have that added pressure; but I used that pressure and the sense of the role being bigger than me, to really help bring these real men’s stories to life. We as a cast all helped each other and put in a lot of work. I would say the last few years waiting for it to come out, when speaking to friends and family, I was nervous, simply because I wanted to do my best, and now it's out I’m really proud of the work we all did.
Were you familiar with Band of Brothers before signing on to this epic WW2 war drama which is the next instalment? It’s surely every lad’s dream to be involved in this.
Definitely. I remember my best friend showing me Saving Private Ryan as a kid, as it was his favourite film, and it completely blew me away, and we both loved WWII dramas and films. I watched Band of Brothers in my early teens, and I think it’s the best TV show that I’ve ever watched, and I’ve seen it repeatedly! Just to be able to carry on that legacy with Masters, and be a part of that, is so special.
“I’m at a place where I really want to showcase my versatility and do different projects.”
Your character, Sgt. Lemmons, is a mechanic who worked on the planes but didn’t fly them. How did you get into his mindset because he might not have been navigating these missions; but he was responsible for whether they go well or not. He’s like an unseen hero really?
He really is, he wrote a book called The Forgotten Man, the mechanic, which was extremely helpful to me, and I used it to try to put myself in his shoes. I read it a couple of times before filming and kept it with me whenever I needed to dive into a scene. I also spoke to his family too, and I found it so special to be able to tell his story and that of the ground crew, as they rarely get that screentime or narrative in these stories, and yet they’re working day and night to make sure these planes fly. Not only that, but the psychological effects these missions would have on the ground crew were immense, because when the planes weren’t coming back, you know, having to deal with that mentally, you just can’t compare anything to it. He [Ken Lemmons] was just 19 years old and in charge of 50 men, so there was a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. He really inspired me in a lot of ways.
How was it adopting Lemmons’s heavy Arkansas accent too, did you have a dialect coach, as you’re very much a Londoner. Did you practice with friends and family, any funny recollections?
I am very much a Londoner at heart! So, this was my first opportunity to show my dialect range, and there were two great coaches on Masters of the Air, and I had worked on different American accents, but once I knew Ken was from Arkansas, I watched lots of videos online to help, and we gave him a thick Southern accent. Then a week before we started filming, his family sent a video of him, and his accent wasn’t as strong, so we dialled it down a bit. I and the rest of the guys in the cast tried to stay in accent quite a bit, and my rule was always, once I put my boots on, then I’m in full character. I also went home to London for a while before filming started, and I would be sat watching football or something on the TV, and I’d put on my American accent and my friends would be like, oh can you stop that now for a bit! I would also go to my local supermarket and talk to the staff who know me there in the same accent, which they found strange! I liked playing around and seeing people’s reactions to it!
Speaking of reactions, what was yours when you knew you would be joining in a boot camp with military veteran Dale Dye, who’s worked on so many epic films, to prepare for this series. How was that?
The boot camp was an incredible experience. Dale Dye has the formula, and it was to install this ‘crew glue’ as it was called, a camaraderie, and he had all of us in the cast marching, which is something the pilots and ground crew wouldn’t obviously do. But he wanted us to feel and move as one, and I remember on the second or third day, I heard all of us moving in unison, and it was just the most amazing feeling, and quite rare to experience. We also went through bonding and physical group exercises and there was so much going on, and it set the ball rolling for us as the cast to be a tight knit group of guys who had each other’s backs, without ego or competition.
Yes, so how was the vibe with you all, particularly Austin Butler and Callum Turner, as you share a few scenes with them? Did any of their acting skills feed your hunger to want to explore and achieve more yourself?
Austin and Callum always made everyone feel supported and gave good advice. But I took the whole process in my stride really, and working with their different styles was great, and it would’ve been silly not to try and soak up some tips!
Did you see Austin as Elvis? Any star living or dead you would jump at the chance to play on the big screen?
Yes, he was brilliant, I saw the film at a screening in London, and I got to take my little brother who’s a huge Elvis Presley fan! I’m a big music fan, I love bands, stuff like The Beatles, but there are so many people I like, so I couldn’t choose one that specifically comes to mind, to play on the big screen. However, I would love to do something where I could showcase my own music within a role.
Yes, because you’re a talented musician too. Do you find you’re able to express yourself the same way between acting and music, or are they separate worlds for you?
I feel a comfortability in story telling which I used to feel with playing live with my band, although for now I’m just focused on acting. Music will always be a hobby and I love writing music, it’s like a level of meditation for me in many ways, I find it healthy to write about my life and see how that transcends into the music. But I think there’s an element with acting that I don’t really feel with anything else in my life.
What about dream roles or projects then? If you had a chance to really showcase what you’re capable of acting-wise.
I’m at a place where I really want to showcase my versatility and do different projects; I don’t want to be doing the same things over and over, but I’m also appreciative of whatever comes my way. I’m not trying to set myself goals, but I would like a role with lots of grit with a big character arc, with depth.
So, with moving to LA and all your new projects, how do you feel about the trajectory of your life right now? Is there a plan, or are you just pursuing things you love without putting pressure on yourself?
There’s definitely a plan of some sort, you know, I’ve spent a year in a new country which has been a really great experience, and I have a great team around me. But I’m not putting pressure on myself, I’m just keeping my head down and focusing and enjoying what comes my way. At the end of the day, if I’m living a healthy, happy life, and I have all my friends and family around me who I love, that’s where I like to keep my focus.
Interview by Kate Lawson
Photography by Elliott Morgan
Hair & grooming by Paul Donovan
Casting ImageMachine Cs
