‘Outlander’ cast reflects on acting out historical moments
Written by Sevyn Michaela-Rose. Photo courtesy of CinemaBlend
During SCAD TVfest, I joined a zoom call on the morning of Feb. 17, unsure of what to expect from the cast of my favorite historical television series, “Outlander”. It didn’t take me long to see how confident, articulate and humorous both Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin were, and it was especially fun to watch them interact outside of their characters, Bri and Roger. I actually recall Skelton making fun of Rankin’s beard within the first ten minutes of the call. Later on, the pair reflected on the time Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan welcomed them on set by stealing their food, leaving only a small carrot and celery stick. A successful prank that is only one example of the welcoming and positive atmosphere of the “Outlander” set.
While “Outlander” is a hit television series, viewers should know that it existed in the world, first, as a book series by Diana Gabaldon. Because I’ve read the first book and watched the entire series up to date, I had to ask what it feels like to act out the historical events.
“Being on set when you see the red coats––you see all these things unfolding around you,” said Skelton. “Sometimes it can feel, and I’m hesitant to say real because obviously we’re not, you know, in the American revolution and that would be kind of disrespectful to say it feels real in that sense. But it does make you feel far more educated on it, sort of seeing it almost as a role play thing as opposed to just reading about it. It can sometimes be quite harrowing, but it’s really touching as well.”
With a thick Scottish accent, Rankin jumped in to say, “The fact that so much historical fact has been woven into this fictional story. I think it keeps it exciting. There’s a sense of anticipation that comes with it.”
“I think you feel a sense of responsibility as well,” added Skelton.
Skelton and Rankin expressed their excitement for the sixth season of “Outlander” to premier on March 6 on Starz. Since we don’t have the luxury of time traveling through the stones, we’ll just have to wait until then.
