This week in Outlander history saw Sophie Skelton cast in the role of Brianna Randall Fraser. It’s time to look back.
On January 28, 2016, Outlander fans finally had their Brianna Randall Fraser. Sophie Skelton was named as the actress just months before the second season premiered on STARZ. It’s time to look back at this week in Outlander history today to celebrate this anniversary.
When the casting was announced, Brianna was described as “a striking, redheaded young lady” and “strong-minded and intelligent beyond her years,” according to IGN. That is certainly what we’ve seen over the years, along with having the Fraser stubbornness that she was also described as having.
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The casting also followed that of Richard Rankin, who was announced as the man playing Roger Wakefield, a month earlier. With Skelton in the role, we finally had our younger couple of the series, a couple that has gone on this season to have a major role in the story.
The casting came months before the second season premiered in April 2016. This was a fairly long Droughtlander and the casting of Brianna had been something many had talked about. After all, there were a lot of elements to the character that book fans didn’t want to see sacrificed. One of those elements was sacrificed — Brianna’s height. But I’d rather have a good actress right for the role than focus too much on physical attributes.
Now, I couldn’t imagine anyone else taking on the role of Brianna. We didn’t get to see Skelton take on Brianna until the end of Outlander Season 2, due to the way the story took place in 1948 instead of 1968 in the premiere. However, since then, she has become an essential part of the story.
What did you think when Sophie Skelton was first cast? What did you need to see from Brianna? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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