We have some familiar faces and some new ones coming into Outlander Season 7. David Berry and John Bell tell us where their characters are to start this season, while Charles Vandervaart talks about the pressure of coming in as Adult William.
It was a short interview trying to talk to all three of them. One thing I loved seeing was the connection all three clearly have. Charles has been immediately pulled into the Sassenach family, and that’s not too surprising when you consider how so many others have been welcomed in the past. Just look at the off-screen friendship Richard Rankin and Alexander Vlahos have.
I went through the three of them individually to talk about where their characters are in their story, and what is so important to them this season.
Young Ian fights for America in Outlander Season 7
Something the promo for the season has made clear is that Young Ian wants to fight for his country. This is a land he has come to love and respect. He was adopted into the Mohawk tribe, and he took on that adoption extremely seriously.
Why is fighting for America to become America so important? And where is Young Ian as he goes off to save Claire…again?
"“He’s teamed up with his uncle. They’re quite a good team when they’re together. Jamie does the talking and Ian does the murderering.”"
They are certainly a great when it comes to saving Claire. And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen that. One of the great things is seeing the relationship between Jamie and Ian grow.
Of course, we also see Ian as a man who wants to fight for this young country. Why is it so important to him?
"“Back in Season 4, I think Ian was the first to be like ‘wow, I love this land’…He’s had such a big story with the Indigenous community, so these influences, this is what made him the man he is now. That’s why he’s fighting so tooth and nail about it.”"
David Berry talks the difficult position between Jamie and William
We left Lord John Grey with his relationship with Jamie a little fractured. The two are on opposite sides of another cause, and this time, Jamie and we know that John is on the losing side. All John wants is for Jamie to fight for the Crown, especially when it comes to William now being commissioned and fighting too.
David Berry talked about what to expect for Lord John Grey as he navigates this.
"“It’s always been a little bit complicated for Lord John and Jamie, but now, I think they’ve reached a breaking point in their relationship…Lord John’s had his heart broken in the past and he’s sick of that…”"
This season is more about Lord John being a father to William. While not biologically, John has been the consistent father figure in William’s life. The two love each other dearly, and that’s playing a part in John’s feelings this season.
"“Lord John sees that the war is going to put William in danger, and I think Jamie sees it a different way. There’s going to be an interesting development in that relationship between Lord John and Jamie.”"
The pressure for Charles Vandervaart coming into Outlander Season 7
There have always been questions about who would play the Adult William. Casting got it pretty great when it came to casting Charles Vandervaart. There are certainly moments in the promo shots where you can see similarities between Charles and Sam Heughan when they’re in character.
What was the pressure like for Charles? By the way, David only has good things to say.
"“Tons of pressure. I felt it for sure before I even got the part…There’s a bit of imposter syndrome, but I think these guys are so great and the cast and crew are amazing.”"
We did talk about how William has elements of both Jamie and John in the books. What about in the show? Is this something Charles worked with David and Sam to gain?
"“I had lots of conversations with directors and producers as well about how much of Jamie and how much of John Grey William should have. It’s important that William is his own character…but a lot of his passion about war and passions in love, I think come from Jamie. The way he holds himself comes from Lord John Grey.”"
There is more about where William is at the point that we get to meet him. We also have a bit of banter about who the favorite dad is considering David was right there in the room.
Take a look at the Outlander Season 7 interview with David Berry, John Bell, and Charles Vandervaart below:
Outlander Season 7 premieres on Friday, June 16 on STARZ.