Black Panther: Martin Freeman on Everett Ross' Role in Wakanda

When it comes to Wakanda, Martin Freeman's Everett K. Ross is quite literally a man out of his element. That's not just because Ross is one of the few non-Black characters in Black Panther, but because even though the well-traveled CIA authority figure is used to dealing with superheroes and political super-powers, he's never quite encountered anything like T'Challa and his people in the isolated nation. While visiting the set of the Marvel movie about a year ago, our group of journalists learned just how Freeman envisioned Ross, a character he got to introduce in Captain America: Civil War and now gets to explore more in this follow-up film.

Normally you can just read through an interview to discover everything the talent in question had to say, but in the case of Freeman, it's important for me to lay out some context. Freeman's a funny guy, with a particularly wry sense of humor, something you probably picked up on if you've followed his career for any length of time. Keep his jokey nature in mind as you read and I think you'll be as entertained as we were, and might even learn something about Everett Ross along the way.

black-panther-martin-freeman-andy-serkis — Image via Marvel Studios

So, let's start by asking a bit about Everett Ross in the comics. He's kind of a guy who's perpetually in over his head in dealing with Black Panther and everything. Is that accurate to what you've been doing?

Martin Freeman: No, it's not. [laughs] No. It's not. It was my desire to not be ... I think we've all seen the idea of the goofy White guy among cool Black people going, "What the hell?" I've seen that about four billion times today, so, I don't really need to do that again. I had early conversations with Ryan about that. Both of us were very keen that that wouldn't be the case in this, you know? He has moments of comedy, he has moments of levity and there was humor there, but that's not his purpose.

How would you describe the direction you're pushing him in?

Freeman: He is the coolest man in the room. [laughs] He has some authority. He's good at his job. I think we're going as realistic as you can be in a heightened universe. It would be slightly incredible for him not to be good at his job and not to be competent at this position that he's at. He's good at his job. He's well-traveled. He's well-versed in the ways of the world. Wakanda is gonna be a surprise to him. But, in terms of meeting diplomats, kings, that's not particularly fazing to him. He meets superheroes. So I think some of his humor comes from exasperation rather than [being dumbfounded]. That's not his function in this.

Would you say he's an ally or a threat to Wakanda?

Freeman: That's a good question. I think we, without ruining it for you, I think there's enough ambiguity there for him to be either and both. I think the position that he's in, like, he works for the CIA, he works for the world's only superpower, so like, an undiscovered African country that has all these goodies in it could easily be, "Oh good, that's payday." Or that could be something that he wants to respect, I guess.

Building off of that and going through the scene we saw you guys filming today, what's his thought process when he sees Klaw in a room like that? We know that T'Challa certainly has something else on his mind when he sees Klaw.

black-panther-nate-moore-interview — Image via Marvel Studios

Freeman: Yeah, I mean I think Klaw is one of those people for Everett who, you know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He wants him definitely on his radar to do future business because he'd rather know where crazy guys like that are in the world than just let him go or have nothing to do with him.

That was the interesting thing about playing those things with Andy Serkis, because normally I think there's something about, our Ross anyway, that is quite ... he has a lot of status in any room he comes in, he assumes that status, I think. And he has no idea how to deal with Klaw, because Klaw is a lunatic, he's insane. Normally it might be Ross, I think who's a bit [cool], but actually he's coming across someone who's just completely off the map, as far as that's concerned. So, for him there, it's just, I just have to kind of contain this. I have to get what information I can, but I want to keep him on my yo-yo, you know? I want him coming back to me, as opposed to what T'Challa wants to do with him, [which] is something else because he sees him as a direct threat to his country and has been a direct to his country. Whereas for me, it's interesting, because Klaw keeps me in touch with other bad guys in the world, so...

Do you feel like that has a similar sort of relationship to that scene you had with Zemo at the end of Civil War?

Freeman: Yeah, maybe so. I mean, I enjoyed both those scenes, but what I like about being on the receiving end of Klaw is that you are on the receiving end of it. Like, he's going to do to you whatever he wants to do. There was no way that, I as Martin, or me as Ross, could top that. Then you would just have two insane fucking people going crazy and the scene wouldn't contain it, but Andy is extremely good at that wrong-footing, keeping-you-guessing stuff. I think Ross doesn't like ... he's a pretty powerful guy, he doesn't like being wrong-footed in his own kitchen and that's kind of what happened with Klaw.

andy-serkis-martin-freeman-black-panther — Image via Marvel Studios

There are so many good relationships in this movie, whether it's you and Andy or Michael and Ryan, who have clearly worked together and formed these relationships. Does that help in this kind of environment?

Freeman: Yeah, I think it might do, yeah. Certainly, I'm getting on with everyone very well. I think Andy is the only person that I knew, but Andy is a friend, like he wasn't just someone I worked with, like we became friends so, that's been really nice having him here, as well.

Tell me a little bit about how those two sides of him, where he's kind of wheeling and dealing, but then he's also trying to actually keep people safe...

Freeman: Kind of what I was alluding to earlier, I think he's very good at his job. He's not, like he is a suit, literally he's a suit, I guess, but he would have been trained, like everyone in his position would have had field training and he would have done little bits, I think, in the field, even though he's not an all action guy. I think, he's essentially a decent person who is wanting to save lives where possible, even thought that doesn't take up 100% of his day. Most of his stuff, I think is diplomacy, really. I think if he's dealing with people from other countries, other cultures, I think he's good at making his agenda the agenda that he wants on the table, you know. That's it. I think unless he's hanging out with superheroes he's pretty high status guy. Like, he would be the guy in the room, everybody's like, "Okay, he's here." But the guys he's hanging out with are even more high status, so.

Yeah, I think his job would mean that he has to have both of those things, which again would be kind of different, I guess, from the comics. Like him actually being a physically able person and an intellectually able person, and I think morally kind of sound, you know? Like as sound as you can be if you're high up in the CIA. Like, some of the decisions you will have to make will not be pleasant and will not be things that we would want to make but you have to make them, and he's by no means ... 'Cause he could be the man, and he works for the man, but within that, he's a decent guy, I think, you know.

black-panther-martin-freeman-interview-set-visit — Image via Marvel Studios

How active is his role on the ground in the action scenes in this film?

Freeman: It's kind of there, I mean again, he's among either superheroes or people who are kind of warriors, like the warrior caste in Wakanda, and he ain't that. I think when push comes to shove and people need every person they can use, then he's happy to help ... But, no the plan is he's definitely gonna be involved in fighting, yeah, yeah.

When you were cast in Civil War obviously, you knew you were part of a larger universe. Did you know you were specifically going to be in Black Panther next or how did that work?

Freeman: That was the idea, yeah. Yeah, as far as I was concerned, that was the idea.

Does it feel liberating to be able to talk about it now?

Freeman: Yeah, it's always nice to talk about a job, but at the same time, pretty much every job every actor does now is like working for the real CIA. [laughs] So, it comes with that package of, "What did I just say? Am I allowed to say that?" So yeah, you're always walking a tightrope between wanting to talk about this job you're enjoying, but also not messing it up and pissing the producers off.

Well, since this is your second time in MCU that you've done and obviously little things like The Hobbit, but what about this production feels different with other large scale productions since you've been on-set, like maybe, you find very unique to this production?

Freeman: There are more Black people. [laughs] That's true man, that's true. Like, it's true.

Thank God for that!

Freeman: Yeah, that's the first thing that comes to mind. No, it's a big movie but honestly, it's more mixed than anything I've done, I think, as far as like ...

black-panther-martin-freeman — Image via Marvel Studios

Okay, well then what was it like being the White guy on the set?

Freeman: I hate it. [laughs] It chews me up every day. No, I'm really enjoying it. I like Ryan a lot. I felt, from my point of view, and I hope it's reciprocated, I felt quite an understanding quite early on with him. Just the way he greets people. It's very friendly, it's very normal. I'm sure he must have some nerves about this, but it's not that kind of nerviness that manifests as a weirdness, or whatever. He's a young guy, doing very well, but he's a hugger, you know. So, he's a nice warm guy.

And I think the Marvel people are good as well, from my time at Captain America. I'm doing more in this than I did in Captain America, so I'm getting more of a handle on it, but everyone seems very decent, that's the truth of it. It's a big, big film and it's a big, big universe, but people try to make it as normal and as down to Earth as possible, so I always believe in a trickle-down thing, that the production takes its cues from that, I think. And it does feel quite familial, actually. It does feel quite close. It's really nice.

Let's talk a bit more about the scene that you were shooting. It's one line of dialogue, but it doesn't seem that T'Challa trusts Ross all that much. Would you say that's where they're at right now?

Freeman: Yeah, I think they're both kind of feeling each other out at this point. Yeah, I think until it really hits the fan and you see what side they're on, they are kind of sussing each other out.

Is part of that just Wakanda being new to the world stage?

Freeman: Yeah, and I think again because of Ross's job, he's not a social worker, he deals on the hawkish side of things by nature, that he doesn't want to particularly give ground. T'Challa's a king and he's not used to giving ground, so it's perfect, ripe soil for that thing of people going, "Who the hell are you?" and then slowly working their way towards an understanding here. .

Being the literal outsider amongst all the Wakandans, is there anything in particular that you have to do to develop the character, where you're developing these relationships with them as actors, but as characters, they are all already over here and you're hopping in?

Freeman: Yeah. I am the American in the story. So, I think even more than the racial thing, actually, it is the country thing. I am the Western American CIA guy and I'm in Africa, in a country that no one else knows about, and it's a very tight-knit, insular community. That's how they've managed to do so well, because they've kept it all to themselves. Which is another kind of interesting part of the politics of the film. So I think that's always interesting to be in, because at some point, inevitably what you're playing feeds back into the dynamic of who's playing it. Suffice to say, I'm not being bullied, it's okay. It's lovely, it's very friendly, but you're always aware that this character is slightly outside of it. He's trying to find his way in without ingratiating himself, you know, without trying to sort of going, "Hey, let me be your friend," because he's not that guy. He would survive without friends, definitely, but he's trying to understand the world he's in and they are very, very, slowly, some more than others, very suspiciously letting him in drip by drip. I think when he proves some form of usefulness, of course then that's a quid pro quo thing that, you know, he's not a free passenger, that he can actually bring something to the party.

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For much more of our coverage on Black Panther, be sure to check out these recent write-ups and keep an eye out for much more to come: