‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Stars Take Us Inside the Show’s Grand Romances on Set
Preview
In the windswept Scottish Highlands, laughter comes from behind a stand of twisted trees along a stone wall. The source of the hilarity: Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine, who’ve just finished shooting a scene from the premiere of Outlander: Blood of My Blood that’s too steamy for a set visitor’s eyes.
They play the parents of Outlander heroine/accidental time traveler Claire (Caitríona Balfe), and their story parallels that of the equally fiery mother and father of Claire’s soulmate, 18th-century Highlander Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). Turns out, the central couple in the original global hit based on Diana Gabaldon‘s bestselling novels have plenty of lust woven into their DNA.
As young marrieds, brainy suffragette Julia Moriston (Corfield) and lawyer Henry Beauchamp (Irvine), a war veteran, are on a driving holiday and pull over for a tumble. So, are the actors nervous about starring in the follow-up to a beloved, long-running drama?
Starz
“I’ve put 100 percent in, and hopefully it is something that people love,” says Corfield, who uncannily resembles Balfe. Julia and Henry “meet” during World War I, when she’s working in the censorship office and he is at the front. His letters “to whom it may concern” fall into her hands, and they begin corresponding.
Irvine adores that aspect of the story. “The utter glory of falling in love via letter is anathema to modern people. It’s lovely falling in love with personality first, and then [when they meet], he sees that she’s beautiful,” says the actor.
At another shooting location, near the famous stone circle where Claire fell through time, there’s a scene set in the early 18th century. Jamie’s parents-to-be, Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), are at a festival celebrating the start of summer.
But the two, who shared an immediate magnetic attraction after crossing paths in dramatic circumstances, are not there together — so they plan a secret rendezvous. If this series offers the same aching soulmate desire as Outlander, it similarly keeps these lovers apart and creates thrilling adventures as they struggle to unite.
“The MacKenzies and the Frasers simply do not get on at all,” says Roy of the clashing Highland clans. “This Romeo-and-Juliet love is very hush-hush, but it’s coming to a head.”
As Slater sums up, “Things could end very badly for both of them if anyone were to find out.” Add to that the cinematic sweep of Scotland and shocking twists sure to send audiences spinning, and you’ve got an Outlander successor that promises to be a bloody good time.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Series Premiere, Friday, August 8, 8/7c, Starz
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