How to Get Cast on a Show Like ‘Outlander’

“Outlander” was created by Ronald D. Moore (“For All Mankind,” “Battlestar Galactica”) and is based on Diana Gabaldon’s book series of the same name. The fantasy period drama follows Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe), an English World War II combat nurse from 1945, who’s mysteriously transported back in time to 1743 while visiting Scotland with her husband, Frank (Tobias Menzies). With her life at stake, Claire is forced to marry a Scottish warrior named Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and ends up falling in love with him. She travels between both centuries, caught between two men in her two very different lives. With seven seasons now in its rearview, Season 8 will bring Claire and Jamie’s tumultuous love story to a close after 101 total episodes, making it Starz’s longest-running original series to date.

The “Outlander” Season 8 cast features many returning favorites, including:

• Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser
• Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser
• Sophie Skelton as Brianna “Bree” Fraser MacKenzie
• Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie
• John Bell as Ian Fraser Murray
• David Berry as Lord John Grey
• César Domboy as Fergus Claudel Fraser
• Lauren Lyle as Marsali MacKimmie
• Paul Gorman as Keziah and Josiah Beardsley
• Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel Hunter
• Caitlin O’Ryan as Lizzie Wemyss
• Joey Phillips as Dr. Denzell Hunter
• Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom

And three new faces will be joining the mix:

• Kieran Bew as Captain Charles Cunningham
• Frances Tomelty as Elspeth Cunningham
• Carla Woodcock as Amaranthus Grey

Suzanne Smith and Simone Pereira Hind have been the primary casting directors behind “Outlander” since its inception, and both CDs also work on “Outlander: Blood of my Blood.” Smith started her career as an assistant to Rose Tobias Shaw, working on multiple American miniseries. After five years, Smith went off on her own and began casting for musicals like “Crazy for You,” “The Who’s Tommy,” and “Carousel.” Smith then moved to TV and film, with notable castings for “Emerald City,” the “Resident Evil” franchise, “Versailles,” “Black Sails,” “Underworld: Blood Wars,” “Good Omens,” and “Shadow and Bone.” Smith, who is based in London, won two Emmys for her casting work on “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” for HBO. She was also nominated for casting “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” and “The Path to 9/11.” 

Based in London and Scotland, Hind launched her casting career more than 30 years ago. With a focus on TV and film, Hind has cast a number of projects that earned the lead actors critical praise and awards buzz. Cate Blanchett won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her role in “Elizabeth,” and Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths were nominated for Oscars for their roles in “Hilary and Jackie.” But as Hind told us, “It’s always [about] acting first” when it comes to her search process, so it’s no wonder she’s cast performers who have taken home gold.

Much of the “Outlander” cast got their start in drama school, including the show’s male lead, Sam Heughan. In fact, he was one of the first roles cast, as the character, Jamie Fraser, was integral to establishing the remainder of the ensemble. As Smith told us, the casting team “[had to] find somebody who’s six-foot-three and Scottish. And I knew Sam from drama school.” 

It was his casting that helped Smith and Hind find the perfect Claire. “It’s that sort of mixture of warmth and strength, wit and intelligence, that you had to find for the lead of this show,” Smith added. “We searched everywhere. We searched in Australia, Canada, and here [in the U.K.]. And when [Caitríona Balfe] auditioned, she was in America. She showed up, she auditioned, and then she had to get a new agent here. And she re-auditioned with notes. We had Sam in place, so we screen tested, and it was fantastic.”

As Hind noted, however, drama school isn’t a must for those who want to join the “Outlander” universe: “Obviously, lots of actors come out of drama school, and they’ve learned lots of techniques. But there’s a point where certain actors seem to become comfortable in their own skin, and it means their acting takes a leap. They learn confidence about what they’re doing—which people often don’t have when they come out of drama school.”

Hind continued, “A bit of advice I give actors at drama school, which I think is really important but really hard to embody, is telling people to remember that they are equal to everybody else in the room. We’re all working together; we all want them to succeed. But I think it’s really hard for people to feel that, especially when they’re just out of drama school and they’re intimidated and desperate.”

“Outlander” might be ending with Season 8, but its prequel series has already been renewed for Season 2. Check out our guide on how to get cast on “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” for future updates, as well as our guide on how to audition for Starz. We also suggest exploring these “Outlander”-inspired gigs that are hiring right now.

“Outlander” might be ending, but its stars have plenty of wisdom to impart on the next generation as the franchise dives deeper into the prequel’s lore with Season 2 of “Outlander: Blood of My Blood.” 

Balfe offered some advice on our podcast, In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, for those hoping to make it in the industry. “Sometimes the reason you’re cast is because there’s something innately within you that you can bring to the role that people want to see,” she said. “So I think if you kind of let your instincts lead you, then that’s a really great place to go.” She also reiterated the importance of believing in yourself. “Confidence is a tough one, but it’s the essential one…. I think being an actor is 100% about confidence.” 

The actor also believes it’s important for others to trust their instincts. “Allow yourself the freedom to do things that are just unique to you so you can let the character channel through you…. While you’ve done all your work and you’ve done all your preparation and you’ve let all of these things in the character sort of sit within you, then you just have to be free and not be worried about being your weird self.”

As for Heughan, he doesn’t think an actor should know too much about their character. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I think you need to be surprised. Characters don’t know what they’re doing all the time; you don’t know where you’re going or why you say something,” he told Interview Magazine. “It’s important to try and work them out, but there needs to be a point where you forget all your work and all your preparation and let the character take you over.”

But no matter what you know or don’t know, Smith doesn’t want actors to be scared. “Never be frightened. If you are going into an audition with a director or producers and you start off by fluffing, just say sorry, take a beat, and start again. Obviously, it’s difficult if it’s in the middle of something or at the end. But if it’s the beginning, I just say calm yourself,” she said. “It’s nervous for us! We go in for jobs, too, and it’s just as nerve-racking.”