You probably know Freddy Carter as the tortured anti-hero Kaz Brekker, from Netflix’s cult fantasy series Shadow and Bone, based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse books. Hot off the back of the show’s second season twist, the Brit star, whose acting credits also include Free Reign, HBO Max’s Pennyworth, Wonder Woman and American Carnage, tells us about fandoms, life mottos and his happy place.
Shirt Contemporary Wardrobe, Jumper Sage Nation, pants Emporio Armani
So, everyone loved Shadow and Bone’s second season. When you first got the part of Kaz, were you aware how much this show meant to the fans of the books, and have you ever felt the pressures of bringing a fan favourite story to life?
I don’t think I really became aware of the fandom properly until the initial cast announcement before season one. We were all sat in my flat in Budapest staring at Twitter and Instagram thinking “Oh, quite a few people really care about these stories and who will be playing these characters” and we hadn’t even started filming at this stage so there was a little bit of pressure to ‘get it right’. Actually, I think I always put that pressure on myself anyway, so it wasn’t too much to handle. Going back for the second season was a whole different challenge because people had liked and responded well to the first season so that was in some ways a welcome kind of pressure.
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Right Coat Loewe, knit Studio Nicholson, shirt & pants Ferragamo
What’s been one of your most favourite or challenging scenes to film so far in the show?
I think that any scene which involves famous lines or moments playing a much beloved character from a book, are always a bit daunting. There is a scene in episode eight of the second season with Kaz and Inej which features some important and much quoted lines from the books, which Amita (Suman) and I were desperate to do justice to.
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Right Jacket Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
“I like researching and immersing myself in different worlds.”
Speaking of Kaz and Inej, who have this special bond, do you think Kaz will ever reveal his true feelings for her, and might their relationship develop in the future?
I think he would love to but sadly it’s not that simple. It sounds a bit trite, but this is very much a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. He has to deal with his own trauma first and I think he knows on some level that he can’t be the man he would want to be for her, at least not until he has dealt with that trauma and those issues.
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Right Full look Prada
This current season really expands on those different elements of the characters and their backstories. Are you given a certain amount of flexibility with how the character can be portrayed, as Kaz’s duality must have been interesting to explore in more detail?
What’s been really nice is that the creatives on the show are all big fans of the book so have been very aware of Kaz’s backstory and trauma from the get-go and have just been waiting for the right opportunity to explore that aspect of his character. When we finally get the chance to learn about his past and why he is the way he is in season two we were all really excited and it felt like a true collaboration between me, the writers, producers and most importantly the author, Leigh.
There seems to be a great vibe between all of you in the cast off-screen. Do you have a whatsapp group?
Yeah, they’re alright I suppose, haha! We do have a WhatsApp group; I think we have several actually.
Who sends the best messages in the group?
I don’t know about the ‘best’, but Archie (Renaux) definitely sends the most. You can always bank on Amita (Suman) for a polite ‘laugh cry’ emoji in response!
So, who else would you love to work with? Who inspires you?
So many! Too many to mention all of them but Sam Rockwell, Viola Davis, Cillian Murphy, Cate Blanchett are the first that spring to mind.
Left Full look Prada
Right Coat Dunhill, shirt Emporio Armani
When did the acting bug start for you?
It started at school when I played Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk. I was 10 and I think from that point on I’ve just been really excited by the simple idea of getting a group of people together to tell a story to another group of people. Having an older brother in the industry (Tom Austen), has been a huge help, as we help each other with auditions and always bounce ideas off one another. He writes a lot now and I’m lucky enough to be one of the first people he’ll send a draft to.
Do you have a dream project?
I’ve always wanted to play a real person in a biopic or something. It’s been so fulfilling working on a book adaptation like Shadow and Bone, because you can always go back to the source material if you need help figuring out a moment or scene. I think with a real person you’d have such a wealth of information to utilise and bring to the table. I like researching and immersing myself in different worlds.
You have Masters of the Air and The Doll Factory due out later this year. How much did you love filming them?
They were both brilliant experiences and totally different from one another. Masters Of The Air is by far the largest scale project I’ve ever worked on; there was a huge cast, sprawling sets and a two-week boot camp prior to filming. While The Doll Factory was a more intimate experience, working closely with the director, and for most of my scenes, just with one other actor. Jumping from one to the other and working on different size sets is an enjoyable challenge.
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Do you ever watch yourself on screen and self-critique at all?
I am probably one of my harshest critics. Also, I completely understand when people don’t want to watch themselves. The process of filmmaking is such that what you end up watching at home on the sofa can feel very far removed from what it felt like on the day on set and sometimes that disparity can be disappointing or confusing. Sometimes it’s more useful to remember and enjoy the feeling you had on the day.
So when you’re not on set, where can we find you? Pub, art gallery, club, holiday somewhere gorgeous…?
Somewhere gorgeous hopefully! I try to get out of the city as often as possible, to the sea or the countryside. I didn’t grow up in cities and so definitely get fatigued by them quicker than others do.
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Yes, I read that you’ve travelled a fair bit and lived in various places growing up, as your dad was in the army. So where is home for you now, your happy place?
London is home and has been for nearly 10 years. I have a love/hate relationship whereby I love the excitement and immediacy of a city like London, but I also hate the noise and the constant distractions. My happy place is probably Scotland or Barbados - anywhere where there is water and bad phone service!
Ha! So, do you have a motto or a proverb, that’s helped you on your journey so far?
‘What’s for you, won’t go by you.’
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Interview by Kate Lawson
Photography by Keir Laird
Fashion by Nathan Henry
Casting by Imagemachine cs
Grooming by Charlie Cullen
Set design by Haleima Darwish
Stylist’s assistant Rachel Allison
