Martin Freeman pays tribute to 'Black Panther' co-star Chadwick Boseman, talks 'Breeders' season 2

Martin Freeman paid tribute to his late "Black Panther" co-star Chadwick Boseman, calling him a "real-life hero," while conducting interviews ahead of the season 2 premiere of the FX comedy "Breeders."

The English actor recalled laughing with Boseman about his workout regimen, saying he was "dumbstruck" that Boseman went to the gym twice a day, before and after after filming.

"That's crazy because it's hard enough just doing a 12-14 hour day, but you're going to the gym [on] either side of that," Freeman said.

The actor said he was impressed by the routine itself, but his respect for Boseman increased tenfold once he found out the late actor was battling colon cancer.

"I think that is truly heroic. That's the stuff that real life heroism is made of -- sort of a selflessness that he didn't draw attention to," Freeman said.

"I respected him a lot in life and I respect him even more with the knowledge that we have now," Freeman continued, calling Boseman's actions and attitude while he was quietly battling cancer "genuinely remarkable."

When Boseman died in August 2020, Freeman doubted they would continue the "Black Panther" franchise without King T'Challa. While Freeman doesn't quite know what a sequel without Boseman will look like yet, he did confirm that he's reprising his role as Everett K. Ross.

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Coming up next for the actor is the premiere of the second season of "Breeders," which Freeman calls "fearless." Freeman's co-star Daisy Haggard agreed, saying it's her favorite season yet.

"I really like how bold it is and how far it goes by the end in terms of where it allows the parental relationships and the marriage [to go]," Haggard said.

The second season leaps forward a few years. Paul (Freeman) and Ally's (Haggard) children are now 13 and 10, providing new obstacles for the couple to face.

Freeman, who is also a co-creator of the show, weaves in his own life experiences as a parent of two children. In fact, all of the writers on the show are parents, lending to the authenticity of the trials and tribulations audiences see onscreen.

"We wanted to make that a stipulation, really," Freeman said. "I think this has to be shot through with experience and with the truth of being a parent."

"Breeders" premieres with two back-to-back episodes March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX, next day on FX on Hulu.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of FX and this station.