The stars and creators of Outlander got candid about season 7 with StrippedPixel on the red carpet for the show’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, June 9.
Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan and the rest of the gang share what they’re most excited for fans to see on screen this season when the series returns to Starz, and the answers may surprise you. As viewers will recall, Claire (Balfe) and Jamie (Heughan) ended Season 6 on a pretty high note as she got closure for the alleged murder of Malva Christie (Jessica Reynolds). Meanwhile, Jamie was rescued by his nephew, Young Ian (John Bell), as Richard Brown (Chris Larkin) planned to send him to Scotland and away from Claire.
Only the upcoming series premiere will reveal what’s next, but Balfe’s excitement for the season stems from Claire’s relationships with other men. Yes, you read that right, others Barbie. “There are some things I can’t really talk about, but I will say that some of the new characters that come in are really amazing,” muses Balfe, giving a shout-out to Joey Phillips, Izzy Meikle-Small and Charles Vandervaart. “I would say there’s certain things with Claire and other men, not always with Jamie,” she adds excitedly.
(Credit: StrippedPixel/Meaghan Darwish)
“And I think the fans are going to be very shocked, and it’s not just one,” she clarifies. “I’m really lighting a match there,” she adds with a laugh.
As for Heughan, he’s excited about the epic Revolutionary War setting and hints at the twists and turns to come. “It’s an exceptional season,” he declares. “There’s a lot going on this season, and honestly, we’ve all said it’s very epic.” Further explaining what fans can expect, he says, “The first (episode) ties up a lot of the storylines from Season 6. And then (Episode) 2 really turns it all on its head.” In other words, watch out for episode 2.
Executive producer Maril Davis also mentions Episode 2, noting that there is a scene in the installment titled “The Happiest Place on Earth” that is “between Jamie and Brianna. And I’m excited for people to see that scene.” Davis otherwise stayed mum, avoiding any potential spoilers for the season.
Speaking of Brianna (Sophie Skelton), though, Jamie and Claire’s daughter will be doing her thing this season, and Skelton says, “I’m really excited to see the woman that Brianna has become. I’m so proud of her.” Having played the character from the age of 16 in flashbacks from previous seasons to the show’s current timeline, Skelton can’t help but marvel at her character’s journey.
(Credit: Starz)
“Now she has children. She’s such a good mother, has such a good sense of self, and has always been such a loyal and caring person, but I feel like maybe she used to be hot-headed. Now I think she’s really learned to assess the situation before she jumps and calculate in a healthy way.”
Season 7 will feature 16 all-new episodes, but they’ll be split into two halves, with the first eight arriving this summer and the back half dropping sometime in 2024. Don’t worry about the story, like Richard Rankin, though. , who plays Brianna’s husband Roger, promises, “Season 7 has so much in it. It’s so action-packed that there’s a point in the story where you’ve only got half a dozen major stories running at once… The fans are going to love it.”
As for David Berry’s Lord John Grey, a lot of changes are on the horizon, according to the actor, who gets candid about the impending mess. “I’m really excited for people to see Lord John in his misery. He’s going to be downright miserable this season. He’s going to get kicked in the ass and then kicked in the nuts while he’s down there. He will have to give up all his behavior, his style. It’s going to be a person you’ve never seen before.”
For those who might need a refresher, Lord John Gray is the adoptive father of Jamie’s biological son, William Ransom (Vandervaart). Their secret arrangement could become dangerous as William plans to go to war on the side of the redcoats. With Jamie and Lord John’s differing stances on the war, tensions are certainly on the horizon, and Berry’s words only confirm this.
“We’ve been, we’ve been teasing this for a few seasons and it’s finally here,” Vandervaart says of Revolutionary War. “It’s going to be massive.”
War or no war, star John Bell teases young Ian’s fighting spirit this season. “I’m excited to see Young Ian kick some serious ass, yeah. They don’t mess around this season. This is Ian’s final form. He’s not here to play any games. It will take out the trash.” See what else the stars are teasing, including comments from Phillips, Meikle-Small and author Diana Gabaldon in the full video above, and don’t miss out Outlander when it returns to television this summer.
OutlanderSeason 7 premieres Friday, June 16, 8/7c, Starz