Creating a prequel is tricky territory. You’ve got established plot lines, beloved characters, and generally speaking, an entire cult of fans ready to pounce if any little detail doesn’t add up. That is especially true for the latest addition to the Outlander universe, Blood Of My Blood, a franchise that has developed such a dedicated fanbase that the lead actors were quivering with both anticipation and intimidation when they first signed on to star in the fantasy-drama series.
“It’s rare to go into something that has such an enthusiastic, large fan base, and that felt like a real privilege,” Harriet Slater, who plays Ellen in the prequel, told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“The cast of Outlander has been supportive and lovely since the very beginning, but because Outlander is so huge, it was daunting.”
For Jamie Roy, who plays Ellen’s love interest, Brian, the pressure was a welcome test.
“It’s nice to have a challenge, though, isn’t it?” he added.
“It makes you want to live up to that and do your best. I can speak on behalf of our whole ensemble cast and say that the pressure really has pushed everyone to really work hard and do the best work that they can.”
While the original series follows the extremely complicated yet enduring love story between time-travelling Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan), Outlander: Blood Of My Blood shares the love stories of their parents.
There’s Jamie Fraser’s parents, headstrong lovers from rival 18th-century Scottish clans, Ellen and Brian. Then there’s Claire’s mum and dad, grief-stricken World War I survivors, Julia (Hermione Caufield) and Henry (Jeremy Irvine).
Between the different timelines to the high expectations of the fans, it was a steep challenge to create a prequel that lives up to the years-long hype. Thankfully, the reviews are positive. According to the cast, the success is because of the ~vibe~ the show manages to carry on from the original.
“Outlander captured a mood. That’s very difficult to put your finger on what the specific thing is,” Jeremy explains.
“When you do a movie to TV show, so many different elements have to match up. You gotta have the good writing, the cast has to do a good job, good directing, and the music is a big thing. It’s just rare, I think, for all of those things to match up.”
Along with the checklist for making quality television, the cast and crew behind Blood Of My Blood were all determined to make a show that wasn’t just paying fan service and trying to extend the legacy of a beloved show, but create a series that could stand on its own two feet.
“You don’t want to try and entirely replicate what was done before. I think you want to take an essence,” Hermione explained.
For Jamie, the show somehow performs a delicate dance between respecting the original and bringing something new to the table.
“It’s like the perfect blend of paying homage to what came before, but then also something new with its own unique energy. I think our show has done that,” he said.
Over the years, Outlander has been praised for the way it depicts intimacy on screen. While the fantasy drama has a reputation for its particularly racy, steamy scenes that get everyone’s mum hot under the collar, sex has never been used purely for titillation. Instead, it’s a narrative device, depicting the realities of sex as an expression of love, beauty and power.
According to the cast, intimate scenes on set are taken very seriously, with an intimacy coordinator always on hand.
“It’s obviously an important part of the story, because it’s an important part of life and relationships, and it definitely aids the storytelling of these characters and their journey together,” Harriet explains.
For Hermione, who had never done any nudity on screen before, knowing she was signing on to a show with a bunch of sex scenes was nerve-racking. Thankfully, her scenes would be with Jeremy, with whom she’s been pals for more than 10 years.
“I was a little nervous at the beginning, but there was such a process in place, and Jeremy and I trust each other implicitly. So that was a good starting point,” she shares, noting that she found on-set direction about her characters’ perspectives incredibly helpful in these moments.
While Jeremy agreed with Hermione, he admits his struggles occur in his trailer before he even makes it on set.
“You go into your trailer in the morning, and they’ve laid out your 10 options for intimacy underwear, which is basically a little drawstring pouch for a man. And they go from large, a sort of carrier bag size, all the way down to a little coin purse.
“As a male actor, you have to go, do I take the massive one, and make the costume department go, ‘Wow, he’s gone for the massive one’. But I walk on set, and it looks like an empty bag?
“Or do you go for the tiny one and let the costume department think that, but at least when you walk out on set, you’ve got a nice, filled-out bag. So that’s really my biggest decision of the day. I go, which one today?”
Check out the full interview here:
If you’re keen to catch the new series, you can check it out on Stan.
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