The Hunters have some big storylines in the books. We got to talk to Joey Phillips and Izzy Meikle-Small about their characters in Outlander Season 7.
In each Outlander book, there’s a new character or two to meet. We’ve had some characters we’ve come to love and adore (yes, Rollo and Adso definitely), and then we’ve had some characters we couldn’t wait to get rid of.
Who are the Hunters? Well, these siblings are ones to love. They are Quakers fighting for the side of the Americans—most Quakers didn’t—and they have an interest in the world around them that isn’t quite standard for how they were raised.
Joey Phillips and Izzy Meikle-Small take on the role of Denzell “Denny” Hunter and Rachel Hunter. We sat down with them exclusively to learn more about their characters and what to expect.
Quakers on the side of the Americans in Outlander Season 7
Of course, it all started with a discussion about the books, but we could then move onto who the Hunters are. The important thing is that they’re Quakers, who in American history were on the side of the Crown. Why have the Hunters chosen the American side?
"“For Denny, he just truly believes that liberty is a gift from God, and it’s his duty to help fight for independence. So that makes him want to join the Continental Army. Even though that’s a heartbreaking decision for him as it takes him and his sister…out of their quiet and peaceful life…his relationship with God is so powerful, he’s so devout, that he believes that this is what he’s supposed to do.”"
Izzy talked why Rachel would follow her brother. Couldn’t Rachel have stayed behind?
"“Rachel is so loyal to Denny…Part of her is also excited to go out in the big wide world. She’s grown up in such a small community…going out and becoming a free woman is really enticing. She ends up being more intrigued by the violence than you’d thought as a Quaker.”"
Bringing the Outlander characters to life on screen
We did discuss about the pressure for them both coming into this series. It’s one with a passionate fanbase, who already know the book versions of their characters. They both answered “yes” at the same time, which was so cute.
Izzy expanded on it:
"“In a good way. The pressure makes you want to perform as well as you can because you want to give these people the best experience, and you know they have an idea of this character in their heads and you want to live up to that.”"
When the casting was announced, there was a lot of positivity about the way they looked matching the book. There were also comments about how these characters are some fans’ favorites, and that added another layer of pressure.
Joey furthered the discussion:
"“It’s just the pressure to serve the character in the best way and to serve the story in the best way. I think everyone is so brilliant on this show, you want to match their energy.”"
Take a look at the full interview with Joey Phillips and Izzy Meikle-Small below:
Outlander Season 7 premieres on Friday, June 16 on STARZ.