How to Get Cast on ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’

Set as a prequel to the “Outlander” franchise, “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” focuses on the backstories of key characters and events introduced on “Outlander,” exploring the young romances of Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) parents, Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie, and Claire Randall’s (Caitríona Balfe) parents, Henry Beauchamp and Julia Moriston. Following in the footsteps of the main series, “Blood of My Blood” spans two time periods: 18th century Scotland and World War I–era England. On Season 1, viewers also encounter a young Murtagh Fitzgibbons and learn more about many of Jamie’s ancestors, including Dougal MacKenzie, Colum MacKenzie, Jocasta MacKenzie Cameron, and Lord Lovat. And it looks like the passion and nail-biting suspense from the first season will continue as the couples must deal with the fallout of their life-changing actions on Season 2.

Season 1 of “Blood of My Blood” featured:

• Harriet Slater as Ellen MacKenzie
• Jamie Roy as Brian Fraser
• Hermione Corfield as Julia Moriston
• Jeremy Irvine as Henry Beauchamp
• Tony Curran as Simon Fraser/Lord Lovat
• Séamus McLean Ross as Colum MacKenzie
• Sam Retford as Dougal MacKenzie
• Rory Alexander as Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser
• Conor MacNeill as Ned Gowan
• Brian McCardie as Isaac Grant
• Jhon Lumsden as Malcolm Grant
• Sara Vickers as Davina Porter

The main players are set to return for Season 2.

Simone Pereira Hind and Suzanne Smith, both former “Outlander” CDs, returned to the casting department for “Outlander: Blood of My Blood.” Hind and Smith, who were integral in casting the now-iconic lead roles of Claire (Balfe) and Jamie (Heughan) on “Outlander,” spoke to Backstage about what they look for when casting period pieces and historical dramas. As Hind noted, when it comes down to it, “It’s always [about] acting first.” And as Smith added, “It’s about the essence of the actor.”

Hind explained, “We often have descriptions of characters that we’re looking for, not about how they look. If we have an actor in mind we think is really fantastic but doesn’t fit the brief, we might throw them into the mix and present them to the producers and directors who are open-minded.” 

The rest of the prequel’s production team includes a number of other “Outlander” alums, such as executive producers Maril Davis and Ronald D. Moore, executive producer and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts, and costume designer Trisha Biggar. Gabaldon, author of the “Outlander” book series, is also credited as a writer and consulting producer.

When casting the original “Outlander,” Smith and Hind were free to diverge from the character descriptions in Gabaldon’s books, but “Blood of My Blood” was different. “We also had to bear in mind, we were casting people who should look like their parents,” Smith told Daily Actor, “or they were in ‘Outlander’ and we are casting the younger versions. So we got pictures of all the characters in ‘Outlander’ and put them on a big board. And having worked on the show, I knew what their characteristics or their essence was.

“For every role, we saw a lot of actors,” she continued. “Jamie Roy got the role, but we saw a lot of actors for Brian Fraser, and some of those actors that we saw for Brian Fraser, we said, ‘Oh, you perhaps could be [someone else] along the way.’ It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, isn’t it?” 

Roy had auditioned for “Outlander” before, multiple times. While each audition seemed promising, nothing ever materialized. “The first audition was a one-liner. I was pinned for that, and I was told that they were just putting me through for final approval, but that it looked really, really good. And then my agent told me that one got cut, but I did a great job, and they would keep me in mind for other things,” Roy told Collider. “And then the second role that I auditioned for was for when Roger [MacKenzie] goes back in time and meets his dad. [The part] was for Jeremiah MacKenzie, and that was significantly bigger. That was a guest star, and I would have had two scenes. I know I did a good job in that, but I didn’t hear anything back.”

Smith explained that finding the right Ellen MacKenzie was the team’s greatest challenge. Luckily, there was Slater. “Harriet, I’ve known for a long time, and I loved her, but also, you’ve got to have the chemistry with the guys,” she said. “Jamie Roy has said that he screen tested with quite a lot of lovely actresses, and we knew that in my office, he and Harriet had immediate chemistry. That’s something you can’t fake.”

“[The role] came about in the form of a self-tape, followed by a recall, followed by a chemistry read,” Slater told Wonderland. “That last round was quite unique because the only day that both myself and Jamie Roy [who’d already been cast] were available happened to be a bank holiday Monday. We met and read together in an eerily deserted Wardpark Studios. The rest of the team—casting, the director, the producers—were all watching via video call. I was so nervous that I sank to the floor with relief after the cameras cut. Jamie picked me up and gave me a hug and told me he was rooting for me, and the rest is history.”

Slater talked about her and Roy’s chemistry in an interview with the Sunday Post, saying, “It was just me, Jamie, and a camera man in the room…. I think the connection between us was quite instantaneous. The director said the chemistry between us was palpable, even through a Zoom screen. Chemistry is a weird one—I don’t think you can fake it.”

In November 2025, the “Blood of My Blood” cast confirmed production on Season 2 was nearing its end. Of course, we can’t travel forward in time, so those who hope to land a role will have to wait for Starz to give Season 3 the official greenlight. Perhaps now’s the perfect time to practice your Scottish accent?

Everyone’s playing for the same team. Auditions can really rattle one’s nerves, but as Smith told us, you never have to be frightened—the creative team wants to see you succeed, too. “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.”

Hind said, “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.”

Pause to reflect on and enjoy your journey. Roy’s path to “Outlander” stardom might’ve been long, but he has since come to appreciate every step he’s taken thanks to advice from “Outlander” star Heughan. “[He told me] just to appreciate every single day and really enjoy it because it does pass quickly,” Roy told Glamour. “It reminds me to take pictures. It reminds me to write in my journal about things. It reminds me when I’m having maybe not such a good day on set, to be like, Hey, look at where you are, look at what you’re doing. I really do come back to that quite often.”

Virtual auditions require some technical prowess. Much of the audition process takes place online now. (Just look at Slater and Roy’s chemistry read!) Smith and Hind have some advice for submitting an impressive self-tape. “Just think colorwise—if you’ve got blue eyes, then wear something that’s got a bit of blue in it because it will enhance your eyes,” Smith said. “Think about what background you’re doing, because sometimes just a white background doesn’t work; sometimes a gray background works better, or blue.”

“Sometimes it’s shocking how bad [self-tapes] are in terms of lighting or sound,” Hind added. “And you really question whether people have actually watched their tapes back. If you’re having to kind of peer into the dark to see someone, that’s not good. Ideally, people should shoot themselves against a background that’s neutral, so we’re not distracted by looking into their home, [thinking,] Oh, that wallpaper looks interesting. We shouldn’t be thinking that.”