IN CONVERSATION WITH FREDDY CARTER

Interview by Jana Letonja

British actor Freddy Carter  is best known for his leading role of Kaz Brekker in Netflix’s hit fantasy series ‘Shadow and Bone’, which premiered its second season this March. Next, he will be starring in Apple TV’s much anticipated war drama miniseries ‘Masters of the Air’ from Steven Spielberg and Paramount+’speriod thriller series ‘The Doll Factory’.

Freddy, you are one of the main stars in Netflix’s hit fantasy series ‘Shadow and Bone’, which released its second season this March. What surprised you the most about the story of the second season?

I don’t know if I was surprised per se, but I loved how the scope of the show really opened up in the second season.Both literally, in terms of the variety of places and locations the characters visited, but also more figuratively, in the character arcs. Watching the show back, I felt like the characters were given more ‘elbow room’ this season.  We explored their backstories and relationships on a deeper level.

In the series, you portray Kaz, leader of the Crows, known as Dirtyhands and the Bastard of the Barrel. What is your favorite part about Kaz and what’s been your favorite story of his so far in the series?

One of my favourite parts is definitely playing around with the amount Kaz is enjoying himself. He’s a serious and stoic guy, so finding the moments of lightness within that is a fun challenge. My favourite part of his story is actually something that I don’t get to play out on screen. The actors who play Young Kaz and his brother Jordie in the show, Fflyn Edwards and Tommy Rodger, did such a brilliant job at bringing Kaz’s traumatic and heartbreaking backstory to life. I love that it is in some ways a classic villain origin story and yet he doesn’t turn out to be a villain, he’s an anti-hero. 

What would you like to see happen in the third season, if the series gets renewed?

So much. If we’re lucky enough to get renewed, I feel like there are lots of loose ends that need tying up. Will Inej come back to Ketterdam? How will Kaz cope without her if she doesn’t? I’d love to see Mathias get out of hell gate. There’s so much left to explore and I really hope we get to continue the story.

Next up, we’ll be seeing you in Apple TV’s much anticipated Steven Spielberg’s war drama miniseries ‘Masters of the Air’ alongside Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan, which is based on the actions of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Tell us more about the story we’ll be able to see unfold in this series. How was it starring alongside Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan? 

You’ve basically said everything I’m allowed to tell you in your question. The series follows some of the incredibly brave young men who fought in one of the most dangerous areas of conflict during the Second World War. The survival rate in the RAF and AAF bomb squadrons was one of the lowest across the entire military campaign. As a huge fan of ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific’, I can’t wait to see it all and share it with the world. Getting to work alongside such a great cast of talented up-and-comers alongside Hollywood heavyweight producers was a great privilege.

shirt & trousers LE17SEPTEMBRE HOMME
socks THE LONDON SOCK CO
shoes CHURCH’S

You’ll be also starring in Paramount+’s period thriller series ‘The Doll Factory’, based on the novel of the same name. What can you share about the series with us?

I actually just saw the first few bits of it the other day in ADR and it’s looking great. The show is a period drama set in the dark underbelly of Victorian London, but it feels very fresh. It has a sense of immediacy to it and it isn’t in any way ‘starchy’ or staid like some traditional period dramas. 

Have you read the novel when you got cast on the series? How much will the series follow the novel and in what ways will it differ from it?

I had heard of the novel and the author Elizabeth MacNeal, but I hadn’t read it. I absolutely raced through it straight after I was cast and loved it. Like I said, it has a great sense of immediacy, passion and danger to it, which I think the show has captured really well. The TV adaptation differs in lots of ways, both small and large, but I think fans of the book will find it rings true to the tone and feeling, which Elizabeth created so brilliantly in the novel. 

blazer LEMAIRE
vest MR P at MRPORTER
trousers DUNHIL

With your father being in the military, you got to spend your childhood in many different countries, like Cyprus and the US. How has growing up in different cultures impacted your life and you as a person?

I think it had a huge impact. Someone once likened that slightly nomadic childhood experience to being a chameleon.Every few years a new culture, a new school and a new set of friends is a lot and you have to adapt fast to those circumstances to thrive and have a good time. It definitely sets you up well for life as an actor, the insecurity and constant moving of the goalposts. It can be daunting, but I think you have to actively work at keeping it exciting as well. I like to think I have the ability to get along with and find a common ground with people in most situations. That’s definitely something I learnt growing up.

What made you interested in acting in the first place? How was your love and passion for it born?

I’ve always enjoyed the team aspect to acting, a group of people pulling together to tell a story together. Actors, crew, directors, writers, producers all working towards the same goal. That sense of the ensemble is still really important to me all these years later. I’ve loved that feeling since my first school play when I was eight. I was very lucky to go to a school that encouraged creativity and also encouraged a degree of self-sufficiency with your creativity. ‘If you want to make something, then go make it’ was very much the feeling.

We know you like to do photography as a hobby. What kind of photography is your favorite? How did you develop passion for it?

Definitely portrait photography. Taking pictures of my friends and family is how I started out and it’s the only type of photography that I really enjoy. People and their emotions are fascinating to me and I think it’s the subjects that make my photography worth anything. I’m in awe of people who can take beautiful photos of trees and buildings, I have never been able to.

talent FREDDY CARTER @freddycarter1
photography JOSEPH SINCLAIR @josephsinclair using @leica_camera @profoto
styling SARAH-ROSE HARRISON @styledbysrh
grooming CHARLOTTE YEOMANS @charlotteyeomansmakeup
photography assistant CONNOR HARRIS @stillsbyconnor
shot on location at The Mandrake Hotel, London @themandrakehotel
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA @timiletonja
shot on location at The Mandrake Hotel, London @themandrakehotel