Outlander: Blood of My Blood cast opens up on exploring the characters’ earlier lives

The cast of Outlander: Blood of My Blood has shared new insight into how the upcoming Starz prequel series will dig into the younger versions of characters fans already know.

Premiering on August 8, 2025, the show focuses on the early lives of Jamie Fraser’s and Claire Beauchamp’s parents, long before the events of the main series. Harriet Slater plays Ellen MacKenzie, Jamie Roy is Brian Fraser, Hermione Corfield steps in as Julia Moriston, and Jeremy Irvine plays Henry Beauchamp.

During a press conference, several cast members explained how this spin-off brings a fresh look at established names. Rory Alexander, who plays a young Murtagh, described how the series shows him before the hardships that shaped him. He said,

"the opportunity to go back, sort of pre-trauma...he's pretty wide-eyed and has high hopes for himself in the world."

Conor MacNeill said his version of Ned Gowan will display a temper that viewers have never seen before. Seamus McLean Ross, playing Colum MacKenzie, pointed to the responsibility and ambition his younger character carries as he rises to lead the clan.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood also features Sam Retford as Dougal MacKenzie and Tony Curran as Lord Lovat. All of them stressed that Blood of My Blood isn’t just filling in gaps, it’s about who these people were before time, war, and trauma changed them.

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Outlander: Blood of My Blood cast breaks down the early struggles that shaped their roles

The actors behind Outlander: Blood of My Blood made it clear that the prequel isn't just about filling in history. It's about showing how people like Murtagh, Ned, Colum, Dougal, and Lord Lovat were shaped by their early lives. Rory Alexander, who plays the younger Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, explained that fans know the older version as serious and weathered.

But in this version, Murtagh is wide-eyed and hopeful, still figuring out what he wants from life. The show gives space to watch that shift happen, not through big speeches but through the choices he makes and what those choices cost him. Alexander said,

"The opportunity to go back, sort of pre-trauma, as it were, to see him on the other side of that, when he's pretty wide-eyed and has high hopes for himself in the world, is a bit of a gift."

Conor MacNeill, who plays a younger Ned Gowan, said this version of Ned has more edge. Instead of the calm and calculating man fans remember from Outlander, Blood of My Blood shows someone still learning how to manage people and power. MacNeill pointed out that this Ned is often frustrated, outspoken, and constantly tested by the other men around him. He has to grow into the patient legal mind he becomes later. He said,

"I think the scene with Ned [Gowan], whenever you see him towards the end, you know, he's very wise, and he's an old sage in Outlander, and this version, you see a fieryness in him that wasn't necessarily there in the in the other show,"

Seamus McLean Ross talked about Colum MacKenzie as someone who’s not yet fully formed. The Colum in Outlander is cold, political, and often manipulative. Ross's version is someone burdened by the pressure to lead while still being a teenager. He explained his point a little further by adding,

"And that is a really interesting kind of narrative thread of such a young man who is just forced to be, not only much older in his years, but lead a group of people in ancient civilization and has a fire in his belly..."

He described how Colum is forced to suppress emotion to appear stronger than he is, especially as his physical condition worsens. That internal push-and-pull between vulnerability and control forms a key part of his early arc.

Sam Retford, who plays Dougal MacKenzie, described the opportunity as reverse-engineering a person. He pointed out that actors often get a blank slate, but here they already know who Dougal becomes. He said,

"It's a fantastic privilege to be given the blueprints, essentially, and the end goal, and then you as a actor, be able to fill in those gaps, and there is an infinitesimal amount of obstacles to be bounced between that allow us to end up at the Dougal, Colum, Ned and Murtaugh that we know and love."

So the work is to trace the personality backwards, to find where the anger, loyalty, and volatility started. Retford said there’s a lot more emotional range in this younger Dougal, which explains how the character became so driven by belief later in life.

Tony Curran, playing Simon Fraser (Lord Lovat), said it was important to him to show the historical weight of the man. The original show only gave glimpses of Lord Lovat's past, but Curran’s version dives deeper into how Simon built his influence and reputation. He went on to say,

"to have the opportunity to play someone like this, and to fill his shoes, or his boots, as it were, with the sort of intensity that the writing brings, is a real joy."

Curran highlighted the fact that Lord Lovat fought at Culloden and was executed at the Tower of London. That’s not just trivia; it’s crucial to understanding how his actions affected the generations after him. He says,

"It's lovely to get the opportunity to play someone who actually existed. Simon Fraser Lord Lovat fought in the Battle of Culloden before he was decapitated a few years later on the Tower of London."

Each actor emphasized that Outlander: Blood of My Blood isn’t about rewriting what fans already know, it’s about earning it. These characters didn’t start off wise, cold, or strong. They were messy, ambitious, uncertain, and sometimes reckless. This spin-off focuses on how those qualities formed the foundations of the people viewers met decades later in Outlander. Everything isn’t answered, but it’s all connected.

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