The “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” stars celebrated the prequel series’ premiere at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles on Monday night and were welcomed by the original show’s cast members Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan.
“It is a strange out-of-body experience,” McTavish said about the “Outlander” universe expansion for Variety’s Behind the Show presented by Starz. “It’s been 11 years since we did the first premiere in San Diego, and I remember that so well. They all come into this very fresh and new. They’ve never experienced anything like it before. It was the same for us. It’s like a mirror to see them going through the same process.”
Heughan also shared his excitement for fans to experience the new series as they await the highly anticipated final episodes of “Outlander” that will be released in 2026.
“I’ve no idea what to expect,” he told Variety’s Angelique Jackson. “I know nothing other than the basic premise, so I’m a fan. I’m coming here because I love the world. I’m happy to see Diana [Gabaldon, author of the “Outlander” book series] here and all the fans embracing this new cast. They’re such a sweet bunch. They’re a cool ensemble. We’ve just had Comic-Con in San Diego, and they welcomed us into their family. Our family’s growing.”
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“Outlander: Blood of My Blood” is a prequel to the historical fantasy drama “Outlander,” which follows the love story between former military nurse Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Highland warrior Jamie Fraser (Heughan). The show focuses on the romances of each of their parents — Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater as Jamie’s parents Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie, and Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine as Claire’s parents Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp. The show also stars Jamie Roy, Harriet Slater, Hermione Corfield, Henry Beauchamp, Conor MacNeill, Sam Retford, Séamus McLean Ross, Rory Alexander and Tony Curran.
On the carpet, Retford and Ross described their freshman season, which debuts on Aug. 8, as “passionate, sexy and violent,” as well as teasing what viewers will resonate with from watching their characters, who are brothers in a succession battle for the leadership of Clan MacKenzie.
“Family dynamics,” Ross said. “Love. Becoming a man, especially for our two characters at the formative years of 17 and 18 years old. Those are the years that everyone experiences and are so relatable.”
Retford added, “When stepping into a period drama, you can find that the writing steps a little bit outside of reality,” he said. “But there was something so beautiful about this work, Diana’s writing, the writers at work and what they put together. You find yourself opening that script, the costumes and the set that does all of that for us. Everything written on the page is all real-world dynamics and family relations that everyone can relate to.”
Meanwhile, MacNeill revealed an Easter egg that fans of the original series might notice in the show.
“People know the biggest one, which is Claire’s parents,” he shared. “That’s the biggest. But, there’s a little more there than just Claire’s parents. There’s a little more to come out of the show during that.”
Roy said seeing the younger versions of the “Outlander” characters is one of his favorite aspects of the prequel. “Murtagh is a completely different character to the one that we know and love played by Duncan [Lacroix] in the original,” he said. “People are going to see things like a younger Murtagh, Dougal, Colum and all these characters who they really love and see how they got to where they are. They have crazy journeys.”
Slater chimed in to mention another Easter egg: “On the Murtaugh theme, there may be some boar tusk bracelets. There may be some pearls that people may recognize. There’s lots of things to look out for.”
Showrunner and executive producer, Matthew B. Roberts, also walked the carpet alongside Maril Davis, who also executive produces the project. Without giving away spoilers, the two touched on other subtle clues for fans to look out for.
“There might be a couple of songs or familiar faces you might recognize,” Roberts teased, as Davis chimed in. “A baby you might know is older.” Roberts added: “You may have heard her name before.”
For more than a decade, the “Outlander” universe has captivated audiences with its compelling storytelling and dynamic characters. Ahead of the prequel’s launch, “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” was renewed for a second season. Roberts opened up about the challenges of producing a prequel given the success of the beloved original series.
“The challenge is wanting to tell a great story that people fall in love with, and they have ‘Outlander’ for that,” he explained. “It was a little risky and challenging. I hope they like it. When the trailer came out, it felt like people were receptive.”
As for what new and returning fans can expect in “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” Alexander, who plays this series’ Murtagh Fitzgibbons, described the upcoming season as a “universal” experience for viewers to witness.
“It’s romance, loyalty and friendship,” he said. “It’s picking your family over the people who you choose to have in your life, or doing the opposite. It’s politics. It’s the clan rivalries. There’s so much that you can put into the 21st century. You can choose whether you want it as escapism or see it as a lens to look at the modern world. It’s up to anyone.”
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