Based on Diana Gabaldon’s book series by the same name, Outlander follows Claire Randall as she is thrown back in time to 1743.
Pulled from the 1940s, she loses her husband and is thrust into the dangerous world of 1743 Scotland.
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Diana Gabaldon handpicked Ronald Moore to adapt her books.
After reading numerous pilot scripts Moore’s was the only one she liked and the rest is history !
Much like the actual story!
There’s mixed audiences.
TV shows with female leads are often criticized as only appealing to women.
Outlander has proved this criticism false. Their audience is roughly split between genders .
There’s an Egalitarian philosophy.
Sam Heughan, who portrays Jamie, is a big fan of the show’s male and female characters being held in equal standards .
Trauma exists for both genders, as does being capable of greatness.
Location, location, location.
To celebrate Outlander’s success, VisitScotland has created an interactive map of the real-life locations used for the show.
Craigh na Dun.
Fans must want to visit the time portal that sent Claire back in time.
Sadly Craigh na Dun doesn’t actually exist.
But Kinloch Rannoch does!
This part of Highland Perthshire was used as the backdrop of the stone structures that uprooted Claire’s life.
Heughan spends a lot of time in makeup.
In order to portray the rough and tumble Jamie Fraser, Heughan must spend anywhere from three to five hours in the makeup chair.
Most of the makeup is actually on his back.
To achieve the terrible scarring on Jamie’s back, a prosthetic is glued to Heughan and then painted over to disguise it.
Costuming.
Many techniques were used to ensure the period costumes looked appropriately ‘lived in’.
This included torching, sanding, baking, and even grating .
The women also committed to historical accuracy.
Even the background extras wore corsets!
Actresses from the main cast have spoken about how the corsets helped them realize their characters are not just socially repressed but also physically.
The magic of kilts.
Then men of Outlander also commit to authenticity with their costuming by wearing their kilts in traditional fashion:
Claire was supposed to be cast first.
But showrunner Ronald Moore was so enamored by Heughan’s audition tape that Jamie was instead cast first .
Release the tape!
Liam Neeson and Sean Connery were contenders for Jamie.
Moore was originally considering Neeson and Connery for the role , but I think we can all agree Heughan is the perfect Jamie.
Caitriona Balfe joined the cast much later.
It wasn’t until a few weeks before filming began that the perfect Claire was found .
This just goes to show that sometimes slow and steady wins the race.
Claire’s modernity drew Balfe in.
It was the headstrong modernity she saw Claire embody in both the 1940s and the 1740s that prompted the actress to audition for her.
