Since it first aired in 2014, historical fantasy epic Outlander has captivated viewers with the time-hopping romance between brave 18th-century Scottish soldier Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan) and his spirited 20th-century-born wife, World War Two nurse Claire (Caitriona Balfe).
With an eighth and final chapter of the saga – which is inspired by American author Diana Gabaldon’s series of bestselling novels – still to come, a much-anticipated prequel, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, now goes back a generation to explore two love stories: one featuring Jamie’s parents Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie, and the other focusing on Claire’s folks, Henry Beauchamp and Julia Moriston.
Launching in the US on the Starz cable channel (episodes will air at 8 pm ET/PT every Friday beginning on Friday, August 8) and in the UK on MGM+ on Saturday 9 August, the 10-parter finds rival clan members Brian (rising star Jamie Roy) and Ellen (Pennyworth’s Harriet Slater) fighting their attraction to each other in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1700s, while Henry (Dalgliesh’s Jeremy Irvine) and Julia (We Hunt Together’s Hermione Corfield) are on holiday in Scotland in the 1920s.
However, it’s not long before their worlds collide after Julia and Henry inadvertently– and separately – find themselves travelling to 1714 via the same circle of standing stones which transported their daughter from 1945 to 1743 in the original Outlander.
Here, Jeremy, 35, and Hermione, 31, reveal more…
We first meet the couple in the 1920s while they are on holiday in Scotland when they are married and parents to a young Claire, with a new baby on the way. And in just a few minutes there’s a steamy love scene and a car crash that sees you both being thrown into a river…
HERMIONE: "The car thing was actually that was a good day. It was fun. When we got thrown into the river, we fully went in. And it wasn't warm, it was freezing cold!. We were in the middle of nowhere, so we didn't really have a proper base at that location."
JEREMY: "We had to walk half an hour back to a little farmhouse to go and get warm.The stunt stuff's great. I loved it. That's like a fun day out for us. As for the sex scenes, you know what you have signed up for. It's just about making sure that everything’s done for a reason, that it’s relevant to the story and it shows two people’s romance as real as possible."
What was it like filming those first scenes in the Scottish Highlands?
JEREMY: "You've got the four lead characters and I'd say there's the fifth lead, which is Scotland. The scenery is just very evocative. It’s a big land of fairy tales and myths, and you can see how they would be believed in that sort of landscape. They all seem very possible. "
HERMIONE: "I like it when we're out in the elements. There’s something about the highlands and those landscapes. I think it's very inspiring."
Julia is transported through the stones to the 18th century at the end of the first episode and Henry soon follows while looking for her. What was it like playing the same character in two different eras?
HERMIONE: "The clothes helped. Julia’s clothes in the 1920s are very practical and pretty comfortable, I'd say. And then in the 1700s, the skirts are longer and heavier, and there are corsets. It’s a little more restrictive in terms of movement,"
JEREMY: "When I'm filming scenes in the 1700s, getting dressed is an absolute faff! You can't dress yourself. Someone has to come in and help you. It feels quite degrading because you're in your underwear, first thing in the morning, being wrapped up in a kilt, like a baby being swaddled. It's a very different vibe!"
Did you have to do double the research because the series is set in very different eras?
JEREMY: "I focused on the 1920s side of it, because the character is meant to be a fish out of water when he gets to the 1720s. I didn't want to go into a scene as Jeremy, thinking ‘I know what that is,’ because Henry wouldn't know what it is."
HERMIONE: "I would say I probably did more research into the 1920s, World War One, London, England, and women in that time period and what they could do in terms of being engaged in the war. As with any character work, you work out their backstory and what makes them do what they do."
How different is working on a period drama to starring in a series set in the modern day?
HERMIONE: "I wouldn’t say I have a preference. I think it's more down to character and storyline, rather than particular periods in time. I think period dramas are more of a challenge in some ways, because you have to do an extra layer of work, researching the customs of the time and getting that right."
JEREMY: "I don't approach them any differently, but there is something nice about doing a love story, which this show fundamentally is, in a different time period. There are more obstacles and social barriers in the way of characters falling in love and getting to be together! Nowadays, you can just text each other!"
HERMIONE: "It's so much more romantic doing a love story in the two time periods because there is so much more scope for romance and longing. That's really fun to play with."
What did you know about Outlander before you took the roles of Henry and Julia?
JEREMY: "I didn't know about it, particularly, but it’s been a lovely privilege to discover how popular it is. When we were filming this series, the Outlander cast and crew were filming their last season, and we were at the same studio, so we all, we all hung out. There were a few drunken nights with the Outlander gang!"
HERMIONE: "It was so lovely to meet them. We met our daughter [Caitriona Balfe, who plays Henry and Julia’s adult daughter in Outlander]! They were incredibly welcoming, and they told us a lot about their experiences. It’s quite an amazing thing to step into something that's so established and popular."
You’re currently back in Scotland, filming the second season of Outlander: Blood of My Blood. What’s it like to be back together with your castmates?
JEREMY: "This is one of a few jobs that I have done where we are all genuinely good friends together. Tomorrow we are hiring boats on Loch Loman. We hang out more in our off time than we do at work, which is a lovely thing. It no longer feels like coming to work for season two. I'm just on holiday in Scotland with my mates!"
Outlander launches in the UK with the first two episodes on MGM+ on Saturday 9 August. The rest of the 10-part series will be shown weekly.
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