*The highly anticipated prequel series “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” debuted on Friday, August 8. New episodes of the timeless romantic drama stream weekly on Fridays exclusively on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms, and air weekly on STARZ at 8:00 pm ET/PT in the U.S. and at 9:00 pm ET/PT in Canada.
Expanding the beloved universe, the series follows two fated couples: Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), and Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine). The story spans from the trenches of World War I to the rugged Scottish Highlands, revealing the origins of characters central to the “Outlander” legacy while welcoming new audiences to the saga.
For Hermione Corfield, playing Julia meant honoring the show’s lineage without imitation. “I think the key was to take elements of Claire, but never do an impression or mimic Caitríona’s performance just out of respect for her. But also, because, you know, we’re not carbon copies of our parents, we take bits of them, it’s nature and nurture,” she explained. “Claire was separated from us when she was five. So I think she’s got bits of us. I think her inherent core is similar, but she’s her own woman. And we’re, yeah, we’re, we’re our own women. Yeah, our own characters.”
Irvine took a different approach, focusing on the fresh material. “I read the script, saw this as a new project. And yeah, the character was sort of built from that,” he said. “You just end up putting pressure on yourself if you think about how beloved some of the characters are. That’s lovely… but for filming day to day, we’re just doing it, getting each scene and trying to hopefully make it as good as we can. And then with a bit of luck, the existing fans accept us.”
Both actors believe their characters will offer audiences something unexpected. Irvine noted, “These are new characters that we’re creating. And which is nice for us. You know, they’re not particularly in the books, and that gives us a bit more scope. Also, we’ve got less chance of upsetting people if they had other ideas. So, that’s nice. But… both of these characters have got a resilience, they’ve got an intelligence, they’ve got a quick witted, quick thinking characteristic to them. I think we see that in Claire a lot. So I think you can see sort of where bits come from.”
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Corfield added that Julia’s role in the larger narrative will be meaningful for fans: “I think they will love Julia’s interactions with Brian and Ellen and that whole dynamic. I think the fact that she plays a part and they play a part in her and their destiny will be satisfying for fans to watch.”
Beyond the sweeping history and interwoven timelines, the heart of “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” remains the romance. Corfield hopes viewers connect deeply with Julia and Henry’s marriage: “I hope audiences enjoy the depth of their relationship. I think that we meet them at a point where they’re married and they’ve learned each other’s flaws. I hope they enjoy and buy into the depth of the love and the fact that they see each other as their home. And throughout the series, they’re trying to get back to each other. I think you want the audience to want them to be together.”
With new stories, familiar legacies, and powerful performances, “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” looks to expand the franchise’s reach while staying rooted in the themes that made the original a phenomenon: love, fate, and family across generations.
Watch our interview with Hermione and Jeremy below.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy Star Talk ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Prequel | EUR Video Exclusive
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