Outlander Season 4: Who is Ed Speleers?

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Ed Speleers will play the Irish pirate, Stephen Bonnet, but what do you know about the actor?

When Outlander Season 4 casting confirmed Ed Speleers as Stephen Bonnet there was a lot of discussion. Fans shared their opinions on the new, especially whether Speleers matched the description of the character in the book.

However, now fans want to know more about the actor. What can you see him in before watching him in Outlander? Can you get an idea of his acting abilities? Here’s a look at who Ed Speleers is to help get an idea of what to expect.

He’s no stranger to period dramas

Many actors will go their life playing mostly characters set in their own time period. There may be future periods or dystopian worlds, but the past isn’t as popular. That’s not the case for Speleers. He has experience with period dramas on more than one occasion. While not quite the same time period as Outlander, the experience still counts.

Two of the roles he’s known for the most are Wolf Hall and Downton Abbey. He was in 17 episodes of the latter, playing the role of Jimmy Kent.

He as movie, TV and video game experience

It’s not often you find an actor who has done it all in a short career. Well, Speleers has, so there are high hopes for the things he can bring to Outlander. His most recent productions have included James Harcourt in Alice Through the Looking Glass and Ed in The House that Jack Built.

You likely saw him in his first movie. He played Eragon in the movie of the same name. So not only does he have period drama experience, but fantasy experience. And yes, that was also a novel first, so he has book-to-screen adaptation experience.

He has a nautical star tattoo on his wrist

Speleer has two tattoos, one of which is a nautical star on his wrist. While the tattoo is for his best friends—one star point per friend—there is the opportunity to bring this into Bonnet’s character. Sure, Bonnet didn’t have a tattoo, but he was a pirate and what’s not to say he wouldn’t do something like that?

The second tattoo will definitely need to be covered. It’s “Ramble On” on his left hip. Considering Bonnet isn’t a time traveller (unless the show really changes the books) then there’s no reason for him to have a Led Zeppelin song name tattooed on his body!

https://twitter.com/Sheugs/status/918435261289078784

He has stage experience

During his high school years, he took part in a number of stage performances. Two notable stage productions that link to Outlander were Richard III and Hamlet. Again, they link to his time period experience. However, they also show the range of acting skills he has.

Shakespeare’s Richard III portrays the king as a monstrous, evil, cunning man. Speleers has a character within he can use to help with the evil Stephen Bonnet.

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He’s more often on Instagram than Twitter

If you want to see Speleers on social media, you’re better off on Instagram. This is connected to his Twitter account, but you’ll actually get to see the images better when you go straight to the photo sharing social site.

When he does tweet on Twitter, it’s usually to share from others. They are often political or safety warnings, which shows the beautiful nature of his heart. In other words, he’s nothing like Bonnet in real life!

Next: What do we already know about Stephen Bonnet in Outlander? [Spoilers]

Are you excited to see Ed Speleers in action? Share your favorite Bonnet moment that you can’t wait for him to perform in the comments below.

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