‘Retracing Easy Company’s journey from Normandy to the Eagle’s Nest with insight from its stars...’
Having recently rewatched HBO’s classic WWII drama Band of Brothers, I have subsequently found myself obsessed with all things Easy Company. ‘I’d have been at home in the 101st Airborne Division’ I muse to myself, despite the fact that I’d struggle to successfully complete ten press-ups let alone jump out of an airplane into a warzone…
HBO’s Band of Brothers Podcast was released in 2021 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the show airing and it acts as the perfect accompaniment to one of the most celebrated TV shows of all time. Each episode of the podcast corresponds with an episode of the TV show with a relevant guest joining slightly annoying but undoubtedly passionate host Roger Bennett. While it’s incredibly satisfying to hear big names such as Tom Hanks, Damien Lewis and Ron Livingstone waxing lyrical about a project that clearly meant a lot to them, the highlight of the whole run is Bennett’s conversation with Frank John Hughes who plays Staff Sergeant Bill Guarnere. To hear Hughes speak with such warmth and such reverence for a man who clearly changed his life is both prescient and emotional and it speaks of a wider trend of many of the actors involved who claim that filming Band of Brothers and meeting their real-life counterparts in Easy Company resulted in them becoming better people.
This is not just the actors’ show, however. There are also extensive interviews with writers, directors, set designers, and perhaps more interestingly of all, with Capt. Dale Dye – the Senior Military Advisor to the show. Dye became involved in the project having worked with Hanks before on Saving Private Ryan and it’s striking just how much respect the actors cum recruits still maintain for Dye and his methods. The actor boot camp sounds like an incredible experience and the fact they referred to each other by their characters’ names the entire time speaks to their desire not just to tell the story of Easy Company but also to do it justice.
The Band of Brothers podcast should be required listening for any fans of the show but I would also recommend it for anyone with an interest in how a big project comes together. The process of writing, casting and training for Band of Brothers is just as compelling to hear about as the actual filming of the show. All in all, an extremely competent and emotionally affecting podcast.