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exclusive Outlander interviews: starz
exclusive Outlander interviews: starz
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an you briefly describe the story for people who aren't familiar with the books?
ow did you discover the Outlander books and what inspired you about them?
hat is your experience of seeing all of your work come to life?
Caitriona: It's just at the end of the Second World War, in which Claire was a combat nurse. She goes to Scotland with her husband on sort of a second honeymoon. While she's there, she comes across a stone circle and gets transported back to 1743, where she lands in the middle of the Jacobite rebellion and meets this …
Sam and I are
great friends.
Sam: [Interjects] this wonderful, beautiful, good-looking …
Caitriona: … dashing young highlander played by Sam. It follows their love story
and her conflict of being a woman out of time and out of place, as well as all the historical run-up to this big battle in Scottish history.
and her conflict of being a woman out of time and out of place, as well as all the historical run-up to this big battle in Scottish history.
Sam: [The Battle of Culloden] is such a turning point in Scottish history. But there is
so much more in the story as well — there is something for everyone: great characters, a lot of adventure, the historical side — it's going to appeal to a really wide audience.
so much more in the story as well — there is something for everyone: great characters, a lot of adventure, the historical side — it's going to appeal to a really wide audience.
Caitriona: I think guys will really enjoy it. There is nothing sappy or fluffy about this world. It was a difficult, violent time to live in. It's raw and gritty.
Claire adds another dimension to him — he becomes more vulnerable because he has something to lose.
Caitriona: Sam had already been cast four months before — we met for the first time when I tested — and it was instant. We got along straightaway, and the scenes were great. We had a really fun time doing them.
Sam: They were quite strong scenes as well — I wasn't expecting that — there was a lot going on in them, and she gave as good as she got. As soon as Cat left, the consensus was that she was the one. You could see it. The producers were all excited.
Caitriona: We both had to go to London to get our hair done, so we took a walk through Hyde Park. We had this really great conversation about where we were with our characters and the story. Sam and I are great friends — we go out and have chats with each other. The shooting conditions can be tough and the hours are long and we are very supportive of each other. I laugh at him all the time.
Sam: Not with me — at me.
Caitriona: No really. It's been a dream. I couldn't have wished for such a good working relationship. [To Sam] I'll have that 50 quid now.
Sam: [To Caitriona] That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.
How did you prepare for a character who lived 70 years ago and 200 years before that at the same time?
Scotland has really delivered … it's beautiful, and it just throws you into this world.
Caitriona: The thing is, Claire stays the same person, so for me, she is first and foremost a woman of the 1940s. I love that time period — I watch a lot of 1940s films and listen to a lot of 1940s music. And my grandmother was a nurse during the Second World War, so for me there were a lot of ways in to becoming a woman from 1940. When she goes to the 1700s, she is as confused as anyone else, so it was easy to not have to think of that time period because it is all very new for her.
Sam: Jamie is very forward-thinking for the time — he's educated, he travels a lot, and he speaks several languages. When you first meet him, you think he's one thing, but he's constantly evolving and changing.
What qualities about these characters did you relate to or find
particularly challenging?
particularly challenging?
Sam: Jamie keeps surprising me in the way he deals with each scenario. It feels like a combination of a lot of other roles I've played, which is really nice in that it was comfortable. There is just so much to draw upon — not just from Diana's books, but from the history and the time period. Claire adds another dimension to him — he becomes more vulnerable because he has something to lose. We complement each other.
She's very much her
own strong-willed, feisty,
fierce woman.
Caitriona: For me, I think it's quite funny. The longer I play her, the more I see our similarities. She's kind of stubborn. She's kind of mouthy. She's opinionated. She is also really intelligent. Claire is an amazingly rich character. It's not often that you get a female character that's not just an appendage to a man. She's very much her own strong-willed, feisty, fierce woman. I was just like, "I need to play this woman."
Can you share some of your experiences of being on set? How did filming on location in Scotland affect your performances?
it, the more I realize how much it's ingrained in Scottish
culture. It's in place names, the mythology, and music
too — when the bagpipes were banned by the
English, they re-created the sounds of the pipes
through singing called mouth music.
Sam: Scotland has really delivered and it was a real pleasure to let [my country] show off a bit. We all have some sort of idea of Scottish culture — shortbread and whisky and kilts — but there's a lot more to it. There is a real sense to some of the places we filmed. It's beautiful, and it just throws you into this world. It's a joy for us.
Caitriona: It's crazy — there are times when we're all on our horses and it's raining, and it's really cold, and we're not wearing a lot of clothes. But it all adds to the authenticity of the scenes. We're not somewhere with a rain machine — you just feel like you are in that place.
Sam: We've been really lucky with our weather, but when you're stuck in mud, you are stuck in mud. [Cat] spent about four weeks running around in a slip in the nighttime in the woods. She didn't complain once.
Caitriona: We have the most amazing costume designer, [Terry Oresbach] — Ron [Moore]'s wife. She really looked at the history of the kilts and the cloth. The costumes are amazing, and everyone looks so great.
Sam: The colors are sourced from local plants, which is how they would have done it. The whole look is very special — that's what makes it stand out.
We had to learn horse riding, sword fighting, and Gaelic, which is a really strong part of the show, and we try to put as much in as we can. Jamie is not a native speaker of English, and I find that's a really interesting part of his character — that his first language is
Gaelic and he has to speak English most of the time —
he is always adapting himself to other people.
it, the more I realize how much it's ingrained in Scottish
culture. It's in place names, the mythology, and music
too — when the bagpipes were banned by the
English, they re-created the sounds of the pipes
through singing called mouth music.
Caitriona: It's really beautiful. And there has
been such great momentum, great spirit on
set and among all the actors. From day one,
it just felt really special.
been such great momentum, great spirit on
set and among all the actors. From day one,
it just felt really special.
Because I love history and I love historical fiction, my wife, Terry, and my producing partner, Maril [Davis], knew right away that they would appeal to me. They both said, "You should read these books. You would love them." And I did. I fell in love with the central character of Claire and I really liked the details of the period and the world Diana Gabalden created. It was one I didn't know much about — I didn't know anything about the Jacobite rising, so that was really cool. It was interesting to immerse myself in that world.
What can audiences expect from the Outlander TV series?
that make them a good choice
for TV over a feature film?
It's a big, sweeping adventure with a love story at the heart of it. Claire is caught in this
triangle — there is romance between her and Jamie and her husband. And there is
also this epic adventure that she's on. She is in another time and another place
trying to get home. I could see that it would play out over the course of
multiple episodes, and keep going into seasons beyond that. So I saw the
potential as an ongoing show. I've never seen another series like this on
television that I would compare it to.
What is it about the bookstriangle — there is romance between her and Jamie and her husband. And there is
also this epic adventure that she's on. She is in another time and another place
trying to get home. I could see that it would play out over the course of
multiple episodes, and keep going into seasons beyond that. So I saw the
potential as an ongoing show. I've never seen another series like this on
television that I would compare it to.
that make them a good choice
for TV over a feature film?
The only way to really do
it justice was to spend the time
to set up the 1940s, to set up Frank, to see Claire become a healer at the
castle. And to see all those pieces, you just need more hours. You'd have to
lose so much of what you love about the book to create a two-hour version of that
tale, so it's more naturally a television show. We go through the whole first book in
the first season. It's 16 episodes and it's still a lot to try to grapple with in 16 hours.
You're known for producing sci-fi TV series Battlestar Galactica. How does Outlander compare, given the sci-fi element to it?
it justice was to spend the time
to set up the 1940s, to set up Frank, to see Claire become a healer at the
castle. And to see all those pieces, you just need more hours. You'd have to
lose so much of what you love about the book to create a two-hour version of that
tale, so it's more naturally a television show. We go through the whole first book in
the first season. It's 16 episodes and it's still a lot to try to grapple with in 16 hours.
It's not the main thing, but it's the catalyst to the series. I've always loved period things and I'm learning that it is similar to doing science fiction in that you are creating a world that doesn't exist, so in that sense it is very familiar. You can't just rent costumes and go out on the street to shoot a car chase. You really do have to create this whole other world. I'm familiar with doing that, and I like world creation. I like creating things that are extraordinary.
I've never seen another
series like this on television
that I would compare it to.
In terms of adapting the book, how much was Diana involved and what was the process?
Once we lined up the rights and before I pitched it, Maril and I spent a weekend with Diana just talking about it: "Here's what I want to do. Here is the process of adaptation ..." We spent a really good couple of days just talking about the characters. From the very get-go, I wanted to be as faithful to the book as we could. It is an adaptation — television is a different medium. There is a difference between being a reader and being a member of an audience, so things are going to change. The question is, how much do you change them? It was important to me that in the writers' room we always start with, "What does the book say? What is the book's version of events? Let's start from there." And then when you have to change it, you change it. But you always get back to where the book is taking you.
The relationship between Claire and Jamie is essential — how did casting Sam and Caitriona go?
Casting is hard, because [the show] lives and dies on those people, so you really have to do it right. We said at the get-go, "We'll cast Claire first because she's a modern character. There are a lot of great British actresses out there — we'll find somebody. And Jamie is going to be impossible." In the book, Jamie is that guy — he's the "king of men," as we call him in the writers' room. He has to live up to all these expectations. Of course, it was exactly the opposite — he was the first one cast. We saw Sam's tape and we just went, "There he is. That's Jamie." And then it was so hard to find somebody who could be Claire. It's her story — every scene, every day she is telling us this story. She's our eye into this whole world. It took a very special actress. And again, once we saw Caitriona's tape, it was like, "Oh, well, that's Claire."
In terms of historical accuracy, what kind of efforts were made during the production?
All the departments spend a lot of time researching the historical accuracy of the show. It's something I said was very important to the series — to make the 18th century as authentic as possible instead of reinventing it. Some things are not exact — there are some compromises you have to make just to do television. But by and large, we try to be as truthful as we can. On set we have a historian, an expert in herbs and medicines of the period, a dialect person whose job it is to deal with specific Scottish dialects, as well as a Gaelic expert and a little classroom on our soundstage where he teaches the cast to speak Gaelic.
What have been the biggest challenges of producing the show on location?
The logistics of it — it's a complicated production with a lot of moving pieces. The writers and post-production are [in LA], the show is shot [in Scotland]. So the perpetual jet lag of going back and forth to the UK makes it hard. The fact that the story travels and doesn't have a home base makes it more expensive and harder to produce. It's not like [Battlestar] Galactica where we could always go back and shoot on our stages. We don't have that luxury. The weather is also a challenge — a lot of long hours out in really muddy places, rain coming and going. It gets cold, and this time of year the daylight is very short. But actually, we've been very fortunate so far — we have not had too many weather problems. And we have a very tough crew — they work very long, difficult hours to deliver the show.
It's terrific. I couldn't be more thrilled. I've been so amazed
and so pleased at everything they've done. They've just done it
right all the way down the line, from choosing to film in Scotland
and making Scotland itself be a major character — it's a
fabulous place in itself. The history is just thick on the ground, as well as
the gorgeous landscape.
and so pleased at everything they've done. They've just done it
right all the way down the line, from choosing to film in Scotland
and making Scotland itself be a major character — it's a
fabulous place in itself. The history is just thick on the ground, as well as
the gorgeous landscape.
How involved were you in the adaptation process or production of
the show?
What was it like for you when the production team was casting for Jamie
and Claire?
the show?
Not directly involved. I get a cameo, but I'm not
writing any scripts or anything like that. I have been
amazed and touched by the degree to which they've
included me in the process. They show me scripts, they
show me footage, and they ask my opinion, and they listen. I don't have criticisms
of their scripts because I think they are very good. I think it's just fabulous.
The casting is wonderful.
Maril [Davis] and Ron [Moore] found Jamie quite early on. Ron said, "Somebody is just going to walk in here and be Jamie." And sure enough, Sam [Heughan] did, just like that. I watched the audition and within five seconds in I'm thinking, "Well, he looks great." Five seconds later, he was gone and it was Jamie Fraser right there. I was just thrilled. People generate their own mental picture of the characters as they read the books, but when you're seeing it actually happen in front of you, it's a different experience. People say, "He doesn't look like my mental image." I say, "Just wait. You'll like it. I guarantee you." It took them another three or four months to find Claire. They were going through actress after actress. In fact, Caitriona [Balfe] was not invited to audition, but she
wanted the part. Her manager told her, "I'll get you the script. Go to
a studio and do a tape on your own, and I'll send it in." And they did.
They flew Sam to LA to audition with her. He made the round-trip
flight within 24 hours. He landed, did the audition, and shot back
to Scotland to spend seven hours having prosthetics made.
wanted the part. Her manager told her, "I'll get you the script. Go to
a studio and do a tape on your own, and I'll send it in." And they did.
They flew Sam to LA to audition with her. He made the round-trip
flight within 24 hours. He landed, did the audition, and shot back
to Scotland to spend seven hours having prosthetics made.
I have been amazed and
touched by the degree to
which they've included me
in the process.
What particular aspects of your books are you most excited to see come to life?
I really want to see some of the later, very intense psychological scenes, because in [the book] you don't ever actually see what happens to Jamie at Wentworth [Prison]. As a novelist, you don't ever want to show the monster. You want to show glimpses out of the corner of the eye. So it's very intense, but you are never living through it moment by moment. In a visual medium, you can't do it that way. You have to at least see some of it, whether it's in flashback or real time. So I will be interested to see that.
What inspired you to write Outlander — do you have a personal connection with Scotland that you were drawing from?
It doesn't have anything to do with me personally. I knew I was a writer from a very early age, so when I turned 36, I said to myself, "Well, Mozart was dead at 36. Maybe you'd better get started writing a novel." Then the question was, "OK, what kind of novel should I write?" Because I was a research professor and I knew my way around a library, I thought, "Maybe a historical novel. It seems easier to look things up than to make things up. If I turn out to not have an imagination, I can take things from the historical record." So I was casting around for a time and place to set the story, and happened to see an old Doctor Who episode in which the Doctor's companion was a young Scotsman from 1745 who appeared in his kilt. And I thought, "Well that's kind of fetching." I was thinking about it still the next day. I said to myself, "The important thing is, pick a place and get started." So I said, "Fine. Scotland, 18th century." And that’s where we began.
The only notion that I had about novels is that they should have conflict. If you go looking for conflict in 18th century Scotland you run smack into Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rebellion — Scots versus English. Plenty of conflict. Then I thought it would be a good idea to have a female character to play off these [Scotsmen] — sexual tension, that's conflict. If I make her an Englishwoman, we'll have lots of conflict. I had no idea who she was, but I loosed her into a cottage full of Scotsmen to see what she would do. She took over and started telling the story herself. I said to this character, "Well, you don't sound at all like an 18th-century person, but I'm not going to fight with you all the way through this book, so go ahead and be modern. I'll figure out how you got there later." That's where Claire came from.