Happy birthday, Ed Speleers: Why he made the perfect Bonnet in Outlander Season 4

Outlander Season 4 introduced us to Stephen Bonnet, the pirate who gave Black Jack Randall a run for his money. To celebrate Ed Speleers’ birthday, here’s why he made the perfect Bonnet.

In the run-up to Outlander Season 4, we were promised that Stephen Bonnet would be worse than Black Jack Randall. While that point is still debatable, Bonnet certainly gave Randall a run for his money. It was all thanks to the perfect casting, with Ed Speleers taking on the role.

When Speleers was first cast, some book fans weren’t too sure. As an Englishman playing an Irish pirate, there was the fear that he wouldn’t quite get the accent right. Then there was the question of whether he would be too clean cut.

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All those fears were instantly removed with the Outlander Season 4 premiere. Fans immediately felt him as the dastardly pirate who would make the Frasers’ life a misery.

One thing Speleers’ baby face offered was that look of innocence. It made it easier to understand why Jamie and Claire would initially give him the benefit of the doubt. After the loss of a close friend, they were vulnerable and Bonnet played that vulnerability against them. That wouldn’t have been possible with someone who looked cunning and deceiving.

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Yet, despite his baby-faced look, he immediately took charge and looked threatening when needed. During his robbery of the couple in the first season, there was no denying that he was a force to be reckoned with. There was an evil glint in his eye whenever he was robbing or threatening people.

And then there were the times that he needed to only say things with his facial expressions. For example, his time in the jail cell after Brianna tells him that her child would never know about him. You could see that look of fear as he knew he would be forgotten once he was executed.

When there was a need for two sides of the same person, it requires the best casting. I do believe the show got it just right with Ed Speleers.

What do you think about the casting for Stephen Bonnet? What was your favorite moment with Bonnet on the screen in Outlander Season 4? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy birthday, Ed Speleers!