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00:11First one on out is our executive producer in the brilliant mind of Meryl Davis.
00:24The man who made it all happen, creator and executive producer Ron Moore.
00:34The charming Richard Rankin.
00:50We paid them to do that.
00:53The fantastic Sophie Skelton.
01:04The one and only Sam Heughan.
01:20And the woman who needs no introduction, Katrina Bell.
01:34Hi, Sam.
01:35Oh.
01:37Hi, Mum.
01:38How are you?
01:39Thanks.
01:40Guys, how are you feeling tonight?
01:42You look lovely.
01:42Good.
01:44Hello, everybody.
01:45It's me.
01:45It's you.
01:46It's me.
01:47It's me.
01:48Did everybody have a snack?
01:50Does anybody want a drink?
01:52We want a drink.
01:53Do we want a drink?
01:53Let's drink.
01:54I need a drink.
01:56Oh, yeah.
01:57It's Outlander.
01:58But I'm going to make you guys pour it because I'll spill it all over you.
02:01Yay.
02:02All over you.
02:03Start.
02:05Let's send it down.
02:06Thank you, Paley, for the whiskey.
02:07Send it on down.
02:08I'm going to have you just pass it on down.
02:10We're going to play a little game.
02:12Should I explain how the game works?
02:13Should we just...
02:14Right.
02:14You hold that.
02:15I'll hold that.
02:17Yes, Mum.
02:17Yeah, that works.
02:18Season four, this is what happens at home.
02:21We're going to do superlatives.
02:24We did these in high school, when I went to high school.
02:26But I'm going to make a statement.
02:28You guys are going to fill in the blank with the name of your colleague.
02:30I love mine.
02:31The person whose name is said has to take a sip of their drink.
02:34Oh.
02:35Let's...
02:36Sam.
02:37Hello.
02:39Can I just...
02:41Let's run.
02:43While we're doing this, are there any book readers here tonight?
02:48Unfortunately, we have to keep it spoiler-free.
02:50But maybe next time.
02:53Is Outlander or just books in general?
02:54Oh, just books.
02:56I'll do it after.
02:57Okay.
02:57I have to...
02:57I have to keep this party under control.
03:03Alright, first question.
03:05What are we doing?
03:07Okay.
03:08Just say your name.
03:09Whenever she says your name.
03:10Just say your name.
03:11I'm going to make a statement.
03:12Yes.
03:12Make a statement.
03:14Whoever...
03:15Whichever colleague does that, has to take a drink.
03:19Whichever colleague does that.
03:21I'm glad that we've brought down the tone of Paley Fest.
03:24I think we always do, though.
03:26We always do.
03:26So, cheers, Paley Fest.
03:28Cheers.
03:29Slender.
03:29Just a shot glass now.
03:30It's not a full glass.
03:32Don't take it all at once.
03:33Alright, okay.
03:34Alright, who's most likely to ruin a scene by laughing?
03:37Richard.
03:42Without fail.
03:44Wait, is there more than one...
03:46Can there be more than one answer to this?
03:47Absolutely.
03:48I mean, I feel like Katrina left...
03:52Oh, okay then.
03:52Yeah, I feel like...
03:54It's pretty equal here, huh?
03:57Sam.
03:59Oh, okay.
04:02Most likely to try to make their partner break in a scene.
04:06Richard.
04:09Richard.
04:09Richard.
04:10You literally do.
04:11You're just saying my name.
04:12No, you literally poke me in the back.
04:14I feel like...
04:16I feel like...
04:17Here, we'll just start out.
04:19I feel like...
04:19I like that.
04:22It's alright.
04:23We've got more here.
04:24That's great.
04:26Most likely to complain about the cold on location.
04:28Richard.
04:29Richard.
04:34I'm giving the whole bottle.
04:36I'm getting Billy Teo.
04:37I'm being Billy Teo.
04:39Just drink.
04:40Just drink.
04:41Do you want to give me the glass and you just have this?
04:44I see.
04:45I can't.
04:45I can't.
04:45You get drunk.
04:46Oh!
04:48Wow.
04:49Sam, I'm down now.
04:51Just...
04:53Most likely to sneak a shot into their coffee.
04:56Richard.
04:56That's not...
05:01That would be Sam.
05:03Come on.
05:03Come on.
05:04Do we have to cancel the game?
05:05No.
05:06Because Richard?
05:07I know, I feel a little bad for Richard.
05:08I feel like some people might not be telling the truth.
05:10Meryl, you have to...
05:11That one was...
05:12Take one for the team now.
05:12The first two were absolutely true.
05:14Would you like some more?
05:15You better fill that one up before you carry on, Richard.
05:17Yep.
05:18Can you fill your...
05:19Most likely to fall asleep on set or in their office.
05:22Sam.
05:23Sam.
05:27Who's the worst secret keeper slash spoiler revealer?
05:30Ron Moore.
05:31Ron Moore.
05:33Yeah!
05:34Yeah!
05:39Without objection.
05:42Who hits the catering table first?
05:44Regina Earl?
05:45No!
05:47Actually, no one hits the catering table.
05:50Sophie doesn't leave the catering table.
05:54No one's running to the catering table.
05:56Actually, these two steal all snacks.
05:57So...
05:58Whoa!
05:58Listen.
05:59Wait.
06:01There are snacks first.
06:03That's true.
06:04That's true.
06:07Most likely to injure themselves while performing a stunt.
06:10Oh, my God.
06:12Ugh!
06:12Most likely to injure your co-star during a stunt.
06:15That'd be good!
06:17Okay, what did you do?
06:19What haven't I done?
06:21Okay.
06:21Are you okay?
06:22Well, now I am.
06:24I mean, I've been flung across a room.
06:26I've been...
06:27You've had a, um...
06:28punched in the face.
06:29In the water, he hit you with a...
06:31Oh, he...
06:32shoved me into a massive piece of wood.
06:34I hit you with my sword once.
06:35You did.
06:35A couple of...
06:40Ah, keep dreaming, baby.
06:46Keep dreaming.
06:47The whiskey was such a good idea.
06:49Last one, because we have to work a show on the road.
06:51Okay.
06:52Most likely to take an embarrassing photo of their colleague is black male.
06:55Yeah.
06:58Some.
07:01I mean...
07:01I think we're all kind of guilty here.
07:03Nothing from the writers room down there.
07:06Cheers!
07:06Cheers!
07:07Cheers!
07:08Thank you for coming.
07:11All right.
07:12All right, guys.
07:12We're gonna start with a pretty obvious question, but I wanna hear all of your answers.
07:16For an inherently Scottish show, what's the biggest challenge of translating it to America?
07:21How do you retain the essence of something while, one, keeping it fresh, and two, avoid turning it into a
07:28wholly different show?
07:31Well, you know, there's two challenges.
07:33There's the challenge creatively, and then there's the challenge of physical production.
07:38You know, on the simplest level, visually, it was like a reinvention of everything we've done.
07:43Because if you think about Scotland and the UK and the location shooting that we did, we would go out
07:49and shot on location a lot.
07:51But all the old buildings and all the old structures are made of stone.
07:55And in America, in our colonies, everything's made of wood.
07:58So right away, it tremendously limited what we could physically shoot in Scotland.
08:02We had to build a lot more.
08:04We had to do a lot more visual effects work.
08:06Everything had to kind of be redone.
08:08You know, props, set decoration, new costumes, new visual landscapes, a lot more CGI.
08:14So it was a tremendous sort of, you know, challenge, just on a purely production level.
08:18And then creatively, you're also sort of bringing a different mythology, a different land, a different culture, a different style
08:26of storytelling.
08:27You're dealing with, you know, a polyglot sort of group of people that have come to the colonies at this
08:33time.
08:33And yeah, the audience's perception is that this is a Scottish show.
08:38But in truth, the tale that Diana has given us is really, has always been broader than that.
08:44It went to France, it's gone to Jamaica, it's gone on the high seas.
08:47It's always kind of moved around the world.
08:49But we try to retain that sort of core of the Scottish idea at the heart of it.
08:54And I think we accomplished that, because you're still focused on Claire and Jamie and their family,
08:59is sort of everything springs from them overall.
09:02So you always kind of have the heart and soul of the show, and hearkening back to Castle Leic,
09:07and hearkening back to Lallybrook, and the roots, you know, are overseas, which is really the, that's the American story,
09:13is the people coming to these shores, but having roots in the old world.
09:17I mean, I think also the thing we knew right off the bat is we'd never be able to recreate
09:22the southern heat
09:24that you would have in North Carolina and Scotland.
09:26It's just, I mean, I've said it before, you get a week of summer in Scotland, and I put summer
09:31in quotes.
09:32So, I mean, right off the bat, we were like, we're not going to talk about weather.
09:35We won't be able to have everyone look glistening.
09:38Obviously, the actors, you don't want them to freeze to death.
09:41So we kind of knew right off the bat that we wouldn't deal with the weather, because we just couldn't.
09:47That's, you know, trees are trees, and once you're in the forest, Scotland can look a lot like North Carolina.
09:52But there are certain things you can't recreate, and weather is certainly one of them.
09:56Samick and Trina, did you find yourselves carrying yourselves differently on set?
10:00You're still in Scotland, but is there a conscious change you had to make for this season?
10:08No, I mean, I think people don't really change just because they change location.
10:13And I think, you know, what Ron said is really true.
10:16Like, we're telling the story of immigrants arriving in a new country.
10:19And, you know, generally, people, when they arrive somewhere,
10:23they retain so much of where they came from.
10:25It's that way of bridging that gap of who you were and this new place that you're in.
10:31So I think, you know, certain things were different, like our costumes were different,
10:37and the materials that were used were different.
10:39And that had a bit of a change.
10:42But, you know, Jamie and Claire are still the people that they are.
10:46But they are affected by the land.
10:48And I think there is a great positivity and a great freedom here.
10:52And for the first time, you get to see these characters settle, you know.
10:56And we're constantly dealing with the drama in previous seasons of sort
11:00of trying to, you know, trying to find each other or trying to find a place to stay.
11:04And here, finally, they find that.
11:06And the land of America seems to be a very, very positive place for them.
11:11I mean, there's a lot of danger, obviously.
11:12But, yeah, they're together, at least.
11:15And they're finally settling down.
11:18I mean, they've got their home.
11:19They're building Fraser's Ridge.
11:21After those two decades, notwithstanding, after most of their relationships on the road,
11:27how does this change for them?
11:28This is finally, they can tangibly say, this is where we are.
11:32This is ours.
11:33Yeah, I think it's a very different dynamic this season.
11:36I mean, this kind of look at domesticity and them in their home.
11:41And it's a lot more, it's a lot calmer.
11:44But it's, there's a, there's a strength to their bond now.
11:48They've been through the worst thing that they could ever go through, they think, thus far.
11:55But, you know, the separation, Claire coming back, I mean, she paid such a high price to come back.
12:01She left her daughter.
12:02And after that, I don't think you can really have a cliffhanger again.
12:05You know, they have to be solid at this point.
12:09There's a lot of, obviously, external stuff that are still going to happen.
12:13But I think, as a union, it's really strong.
12:16And it's, there's a, there's a relaxed nature, I guess, to it, which was, we've never, we've never really explored.
12:24Yeah, no, because they've grown up, you know, and they, they know each other better.
12:27And they've, maybe it's their temperament has calmed a little bit.
12:30But also, I feel, and I might be wrong here, but I feel like we're setting up kind of the
12:36bigger story.
12:37You know, we were dealing with Scotland and, and sort of that period.
12:40And now it feels like we're doing something even bigger, which is the history of America.
12:43And, and we, as we know, there's a, a great deal more on the horizon that's coming.
12:47So this is really, feels for me, like we're setting up maybe next season.
12:51If, if you guys like to employ us again, that would be great.
12:56Tell us about next season.
12:57So what's happening next?
12:58Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
13:01What?
13:03Do you guys think Claire and Jamie think about, I mean, obviously, I've seen the first few episodes.
13:09Claire knows what's coming, but that's really far away.
13:13Eight years feels like a long time.
13:15Is it weighing on them, the revolution, everything that's coming in a broader sense?
13:20Or is it more just like, let's get our home built first?
13:23I mean, for me, I think initially when they were trying to decide what their, what their next step would
13:33be, I think that obviously weighed on Claire's mind.
13:36It's like, well, I know this is coming on the horizon, but I think like everybody, you know, the macro
13:43can feel far too big for anyone to deal with.
13:47And I think for her, you know, having this family unit and building a home has been something that she's
13:54never had a chance to really experience in this loving, positive way that she has with Jamie.
14:01And so I think that that's her main focus and I think they, you know, they know that whatever comes
14:06down the line, they'll deal with it then.
14:08And so I don't think that she's thinking about it too much later on.
14:14And Jamie doesn't even really comprehend it.
14:17No, I mean, he's obviously told a lot.
14:19And you saw there in that snippet, you know, he he understands what is coming.
14:23And I think, you know, the storm is coming and it's on the horizon.
14:28But for Jamie, you know, he's he's really got kind of got nothing here apart from the people that he
14:34loves.
14:34You know, he's he's away from the country that he loves.
14:38He doesn't really have many.
14:40He doesn't have any possessions.
14:41He really is actually trying to to fight for the people that he loves.
14:45But for him, that's what it's about.
14:46It's about creating a home and an environment where he can be, you know, the layered or or look after
14:52his loved ones.
14:53And without giving away obviously spoilers, but there are.
14:57But you just did.
15:00Hey, what are you guys doing here?
15:05There are a lot of surprises and a lot more of his loved ones.
15:10They read the book.
15:13I want definitely want to get to the two of you, but I don't know if I can talk about
15:17this part.
15:18Fraser's Ridge and dealing with the American wilderness.
15:21Is it a more physical season?
15:23I mean, the last time we saw you were getting the hell beat out of you in the off the
15:28Atlantic Ocean somewhere.
15:30What is it any different?
15:32You shot a gun.
15:33I mean, I shot a gun before.
15:35No.
15:39Claire, people forget things.
15:41Even when we were talking about that scene, people were like, oh, we need to show you how to shoot
15:44a gun.
15:45Are you going to be okay to shoot a gun?
15:46I was like, Claire and Jenny got on some horses with some guns.
15:51You know, but this is just a bigger gun.
15:58Yes.
15:59It was kind of fun.
16:00It was fun.
16:01That's what we need.
16:01We need a bigger gun next season.
16:02We just need a bigger gun.
16:04Next season's going to be an Uzi.
16:07They're going to run out of room in the armory.
16:09Is it more physical?
16:11I don't know that it's, I think the show's always been really physical.
16:14Yeah.
16:15I mean, we definitely shot outside a lot more this season, I feel.
16:19Yeah.
16:19I don't know.
16:20Maybe that's just a perception thing.
16:21And it was a pretty bad winter.
16:22I mean, we would talk about the weather all the time, but it was pretty bad.
16:24And yeah, we were, because we were establishing Fraser's Ridge.
16:27And for them, you know, there's nothing there.
16:29It is the wilderness.
16:30And there's, you know, nature's pretty, pretty dangerous, but also everything around them.
16:36But actually, the whole of the season, you know, it really is amazing to watch this settlement grow.
16:40And, and it's been, you know, by the end of the season to see Fraser's Ridge really established
16:46and become this settlement.
16:49Heard rumors of a bear?
16:50Meryl was laughing.
16:53It may be a bear.
16:55Maybe some fish?
16:57Yes.
16:58Oh, yeah.
16:59Yeah.
17:02Though maybe not in the way you think.
17:04Yeah.
17:06Sorry.
17:07I'll stop.
17:08Amy's, yeah.
17:09Yes.
17:10I can see season four summarized now.
17:14And maybe nature is dangerous.
17:17Nature's dangerous.
17:19There you go.
17:20Sophie and Richard, we're about to watch a clip of your characters.
17:23But before we do that.
17:24Oh, are we good?
17:24We are.
17:27About time.
17:28I didn't know it.
17:30Nobody told Richard.
17:31I research.
17:34But excellent.
17:35Do you want notes?
17:36Nature.
17:37Mostly history.
17:39Tell us where we find your characters when season four opens.
17:45Cool.
17:46I'll take this one.
17:48So, I mean, for Brie, we sort of find her dealing with sending her mother back.
17:52She's essentially, through that sacrifice, made herself an orphan.
17:57And she's moved away and changed from history to MIT.
18:00So, she's managed to detach herself a bit and live a sort of different life, if you like.
18:05She and Roger are sort of going through that long-term, long-distance relationship.
18:10But I think for Brie, there's a line in the book where Brie says that she's known a marriage made
18:16of love and one made of obligation.
18:17And she knows which one she does and doesn't want.
18:19And I think that's very much Brie's mindset from the beginning of this.
18:23You know, Roger's quite a forward, shall we say, person's relationship.
18:29And I think for Brie, that's something that...
18:31Is he forward?
18:35Just traditional.
18:36I mean, you could argue, you know.
18:38I would say traditional.
18:40Let's not relive this fight on stage right now.
18:42He has traditional only values.
18:43Kind of, like, brushes against...
18:47Values which will...
18:48LAUGHTER
18:50You know, what relationship's...
18:52...complete of things.
18:54Values which will only hold.
18:57LAUGHTER
18:59A young love, huh?
19:00Yeah.
19:02Who, what, sorry?
19:03You kissed him first.
19:05Obviously.
19:05Whose side are you on?
19:07LAUGHTER
19:08Do you want to come...
19:10It was the sixties.
19:10It was the sixties.
19:11LAUGHTER
19:13Wait a minute, you kissed him?
19:18Just on the...
19:19I don't know what she's talking about.
19:21Oof.
19:22Let's roll the clip.
19:25LAUGHTER
19:30Does Brianna know how driving works?
19:33LAUGHTER
19:34I mean, I'd use the excuse of it being the other side of the road, but...
19:39How many times did that scene take with those words?
19:43It wasn't so much the language, it was more the placement of the ketchup.
19:47Yeah, that was very natural.
19:49It was like, how do we sell the fact that Roger's got ketchup?
19:51Like...
19:51Because you see, when Richard eats chips with ketchup, he gets it everywhere.
19:55LAUGHTER
19:56So...
19:56It was narrowing it down.
19:57Turns out Roger's much more precise about where the ketchup goes.
20:02LAUGHTER
20:02I have to...
20:03LAUGHTER
20:04I have to talk about another trailer that shows Bri going near a couple stones.
20:11Ooh.
20:11So what?
20:12LAUGHTER
20:12You tell me.
20:14What?
20:14Yeah.
20:16LAUGHTER
20:16Why would you do that?
20:18LAUGHTER
20:22Just don't touch them.
20:24LAUGHTER
20:25You know your mum has a thing about...
20:28LAUGHTER
20:29That's true.
20:30It never ends well.
20:32LAUGHTER
20:33Frank's voice.
20:34Can we talk about that?
20:36Can we?
20:37What?
20:37Tell me more.
20:39It's just in Bree's head, right?
20:40Yeah.
20:41It's just something in Bree's head.
20:42It was just something we thought at that moment would work, but I don't think we can really
20:48talk about...
20:50Hard to...
20:50Yeah.
20:51Hard to say.
20:51But you are correct.
20:54LAUGHTER
20:54I didn't make it up.
20:56LAUGHTER
20:57So we meet a whole new cast of characters this season, particularly one Steven Bonnet.
21:04Ooh.
21:05Ooh.
21:06Who's laughing?
21:07She's behind you.
21:08OK.
21:10What is the challenge of bringing...
21:12LAUGHTER
21:15Well...
21:16Yes.
21:19Some people have told me that he's worse than Black Jack Randall.
21:22I have no idea.
21:22I don't do my research.
21:24But how do you, you know, place a new villain in here when you've already got somebody who
21:30was horrific?
21:32And how do you make him feel different?
21:34How do you make him scarier?
21:38I mean, this is...
21:39Well, you don't try to make him scarier.
21:41And you don't...
21:42You try very hard not to repeat those beats or try to compete with them and say, how can
21:47we make him even worse than Black Jack?
21:49LAUGHTER
21:49Because that's just a losing game and no one wants you to go there.
21:53So you just try to carve out a different character and a different path.
21:57And, you know, you have the bones of the character and the idea that's in the book.
22:01And then you find the right actor.
22:03And you just, you know, the character starts to speak to you how this is going to be a different
22:08story than the story you told before.
22:09Because Black Jack is in a category by himself in the show and in the mythology of the series.
22:15So you shouldn't try to compete with that.
22:17This is a different character and the expectations for the audience should not be that this is
22:22how we top Black Jack Randall.
22:24This is a completely different character and a completely different story.
22:29Interesting.
22:29Anybody have anything else to add there?
22:31I have to say that Ed Spielers.
22:33Yeah, Ed Spielers.
22:33Or should I say Spielers.
22:35Spillers.
22:36Spillers.
22:37Spillers.
22:37Well, if you want to say it with an accent, but it's Spillers, I think.
22:40Spillers.
22:41He says it's like that.
22:42It's Spielers.
22:42But he's wonderful.
22:45He's not giving me too much, but he's incredible and really went for it.
22:48And I think did an amazing job.
22:51Yeah.
22:51We don't like him.
22:54But he's good.
22:55Did you haze him on his first day of set?
22:58We bullied him.
23:00Mercilessly.
23:01Yeah.
23:02He deserves it.
23:05It was the Irish accent, I think.
23:07Yeah.
23:11Oh.
23:12Is that a spoiler?
23:13Is that a spoiler?
23:14I don't know.
23:15Another character is Aunt Yocasta.
23:17Spoiler.
23:18Did I pronounce her name right?
23:19Yocasta.
23:20Sorry.
23:21I heard it in my head, Yocasta, when I was reading it.
23:25Let's talk about her introduction.
23:26This is Jamie.
23:27Jamie's real family in America, but she's incredibly complicated.
23:33And she and Claire are going to butt heads a little bit.
23:36I kind of want to get everyone's opinion on this.
23:39What does she mean?
23:40What does her introduction to the story mean?
23:44For Jamie, it's just an incredible moment, I think, to see someone that is the last member
23:52of his close family, someone that looks, sounds like his mother.
23:59And for him, it's a really touching moment and a really important moment.
24:03You know, the family for him is really strong.
24:04And so it's a lifeline, you know, in America.
24:07And she does offer him, without talking about too many spoilers here, but she, you know,
24:12she gives him a place where he feels at home.
24:17I'm trying not to say too much.
24:19But, yeah.
24:20They literally arrive at her house.
24:22They arrive at her house.
24:23Okay.
24:24But it's, no, it was, for him, it's, you know, a really, really wonderful moment.
24:28And to be surrounded again by family and to introduce his new family to her.
24:36Yes.
24:37However.
24:38However.
24:40I think for Claire, it's quite complicated.
24:43I think initially when she sees how emotional Jamie is at seeing Jocasta and what that means
24:50to him, obviously she goes in there wanting to have a good relationship with her and wanting
24:55the best.
24:56But, you know, I think the fact that Jocasta has a plantation is very difficult for Claire.
25:05I think seeing slavery firsthand, seeing it up close is, it's just, it's very difficult
25:11for Claire to get past that.
25:13And I think that that just creates this wall between her and Jocasta that can never really
25:18be bridged because they're just from two different times and they'll never understand
25:23each other's perspective.
25:24And that's quite difficult because, in many respects, Jocasta would be the solution to a
25:33lot of problems.
25:34But I think Claire just can't get past that at all.
25:39So.
25:39That's what we do with Outlander.
25:40You know, we do and have done it in past seasons, you know, show like the, you know,
25:45Jamie's time and the traditions and the social and moral codes.
25:49And then we see it through the eyes of, you know, a modern woman.
25:53And I think it's interesting that eventually, you know, Jamie gets to see, you know, her side
25:59of the situation and realize that this is, you know, actually a poisoned apple or, you know,
26:05a bad place for him.
26:07But I'm trying not to give away too much.
26:11I put a call out on Twitter ahead of this panel asking for questions from the fans.
26:16And a lot of our book readers said, you know, this season goes into a lot of very timely topics.
26:21You have racism, you have xenophobia, you have natives' rights.
26:27Meryl and Ron, how do you approach these topics that are so incendiary even today, making sure
26:34you are, you know, condemning past actions while also being truthful to a period of time?
26:39Well, you really try to play the story as truthfully as you can, you know.
26:44And to, the show is not a platform to go and make big statements.
26:50The show is a story and it's a story about these people and these characters and different times
26:56and different mores.
26:57And so you try to tell the story in the most truthful way that it is and not to gloss
27:03over
27:03it and not to romanticize it and not at the same time to be strident and make judgments
27:09from the 21st century about it.
27:11You're trying to sort of look at it, but the focus of the show is not about the politics
27:17of the time or the statements of the time.
27:20You're trying to tell the story of Jamie and Claire and Roger and Brianna and all the characters.
27:24And as they move through this, how would these characters react to that situation?
27:29What is Claire's reaction to walking into a plantation?
27:31What is Jamie's reaction to walking into a plantation?
27:35Who is Jocasta?
27:36How does she live there?
27:37How does she, you know, run this place and why?
27:40And to try to go at it from the interior of the characters' point of views and not the exterior
27:45about, well, let's talk about this world and let's talk about why they were doing this
27:49and what we think about this today.
27:50Let's try to be interior and move outward.
27:55Yeah, not a lot to add because it's a pretty complete answer.
27:57But I mean, obviously, Claire is kind of our way into that world and seeing obviously how
28:03we feel about that.
28:05But as Ron said, I think it's important not to hang a lantern on anything.
28:10We're trying to depict it as it really was and not say, we think this is bad because slavery
28:15is bad.
28:16We don't need to tell people that it is.
28:18And, you know, someone like Jocasta doesn't see it's not that she sees slavery as bad or
28:23good.
28:23It's just her way of life.
28:25And that's how she views it.
28:26And she doesn't know anything differently.
28:28And so it's important to show that that is her reality.
28:31And obviously, Claire comes in and her reality is this is a horrible situation.
28:35And how can you do this?
28:36But for a Jocasta, that's just the way things are done.
28:39And she does not see that as being bad or good.
28:43And she thinks she's doing right by people.
28:45So I think, as Ron said, you just have to show it, hopefully, as it was.
28:50And the audience brings to it their expectations and judgments and realities of it.
28:56I think it's fair to say as well that Maria Doyle Kennedy does an amazing, amazing job as
29:01you guys are.
29:03You're going to love her.
29:08She is.
29:08And also, she's a Mackenzie as well.
29:11And a Frasier.
29:12You can't trust them.
29:13And a Frasier.
29:14Oh, she's not a Frasier, actually.
29:19Marilyn Ron, you employed Canadian First Nation actors to play Cherokee and Mohawk natives.
29:25Can you talk about that process a little bit?
29:27Did they bring any of their own history or experiences to set?
29:32It was a tricky situation that, obviously, ideally, we would have brought actors and background
29:39actors from the United States.
29:42But due to SAG rules, since we're non-SAG, that wasn't a possibility.
29:45But it was very important to us that we bring indigenous people to play those roles and not
29:51bring white people to play those roles, as sometimes it's done in history.
29:55And so we went to Canada, where we didn't have the union rules, and brought over 100-plus
30:02First Nation actors.
30:03And it was amazing.
30:06I mean, certainly, I can't talk too much about some of the things, because it's a little
30:10farther down.
30:11But it was both an honor for us on the crew to work with people who taught us more about
30:21their culture.
30:22And Matt Roberts, who's one of our producers, went and met with one of the Cherokee leaders
30:27early on in the process to talk about the stories and make sure we were doing things the
30:33right way.
30:34And we had many people who instructed us on both the language and the cultural aspects.
30:40And for us, it was a huge learning experience.
30:42And I hope there are certain things we do in the show that we're trying to depict certain
30:49stories in certain ways.
30:50But I hope we were sensitive in some ways and depicted that culture in a way that we did
30:58right by people, but still told Diana's story, because it's very difficult because you're
31:01telling certain things the way she does it and kind of have to stay true to those stories
31:05as well.
31:06But it was an amazing experience for all of us.
31:08And I think certainly later on in the season, we just had some amazing experiences.
31:14Amazing.
31:15Can't wait to see the end of the season.
31:17All right.
31:17Last one before we start.
31:18Audience questions.
31:19This is for everyone.
31:20Meryl, we can start with you and make our way down the line.
31:22Just on a personal level, what's the one thing that changed the most for you going into
31:27season four that differs from past seasons?
31:30It could be the way you approach something, a challenge you wanted to meet with your character,
31:34a challenge you wanted to meet with a script, anything that stands out to you?
31:39Oh, that's a hard question.
31:40I don't want to go first.
31:41Sorry.
31:41I feel like everyone goes, oh, is this season harder or easier than the last season?
31:46I've got to be honest.
31:47Every season is harder than the last season.
31:50We think, oh, that season was so tough.
31:52But France, so hard.
31:53But this season's going to be so easy.
31:56This season, I think, because of all of the challenges of trying to do North Carolina
32:01and Scotland was incredibly challenging.
32:03And there are also some key moments in this season that we know the fans are very excited
32:10about and we are very excited about.
32:12And there's a lot of pressure to get those right.
32:15And certainly in the minister's cap, things like that.
32:17I mean, little moments that maybe aren't huge story points but are nice moments to try to get in.
32:24And I think there were a few moments this season.
32:27There's spoilers.
32:27But we hope we met expectations and also kind of did it our way.
32:32And I feel like we really pulled that off.
32:35I think for me it was more challenging on some story levels in terms of the translation of the book
32:42to the screen.
32:43Trying to find the balance between the characters.
32:46Trying to find the, I always talk about the rhythm of the show.
32:49And I always think of music and sort of melody lines and bass lines that carry you through a piece,
32:54whether it's in a scene or episodically or over the course of the whole season.
32:59And finding the orchestration of this, of how these disparate elements of Roger and Brianna, Claire and Jamie,
33:07the people going into the Carolinas, Jocasta, when you were moving to certain instruments in the orchestra
33:13to really torture this metaphor, you know, was that it was a challenge.
33:18It was a challenge.
33:19It took a while to kind of hear what the rhythm of this particular season was.
33:23What was the melody line this year?
33:25What was the bass line that was driving you through the whole thing?
33:28That took a while.
33:29And it took a while on the script and took a while editorially.
33:32Because in editorially you can really emphasize and move around puzzle pieces and sort of figure out how it worked.
33:38And ultimately I was very happy with how it turned out.
33:41I was like, oh, there it is.
33:42There's the piece of music.
33:43That works.
33:44But it was a different challenge this year than it had been at previous ones.
33:49Well, I think it's quite tricky for me because it's a bit of a change of scenery for Roger.
33:56He goes from Oxford to just outside the town.
34:02There are various challenges with that, you know, logistically, like moving all your shit, you know.
34:08Getting to just outside the town can be trickier than you might think.
34:14Where does he go?
34:15Where does he go?
34:16Yeah.
34:16It's like, it settles down with a lovely girl just outside in one of the home counties.
34:22It's beautiful.
34:22They never get any happier.
34:23No, but I think it's going back to that kind of fan perception and expectations, I suppose,
34:31of some of the characters going into season four and it being based obviously on Drums of Autumn
34:35and where those characters go and the evolution of those characters particularly.
34:39And there are certain things that you want to stay true to, I suppose, in terms of how those characters
34:44evolve
34:44and the journey that those characters go on.
34:47So, for me particularly, I know that Roger's stuff is all going to be based in libraries
34:52and research and all that kind of thing.
34:55But I suppose it's, you know, keeping in mind that there are going to be, you know,
35:00things that people are looking for, expectations.
35:02Changes, I suppose.
35:03Changes to the character and how they evolve and how they move along on their journey
35:07and how they are different at the end of that, I suppose, for me was something that,
35:13you know, you know, I kept in mind particularly through shooting season four.
35:18And hopefully, hopefully I stayed on track with that, but we'll see.
35:26Yeah, I mean, a similar thing in that I can't really say too much of Brie's story from this season,
35:31but in terms of one of the biggest challenges, I think for me was just,
35:35from a research point of view, Brianna, she goes through quite a lot this season
35:40and I wanted to make sure that I did enough research to play what she goes through
35:45and sort of the aftermath of what she goes through in a way that does justice
35:48to people who have been through a similar thing.
35:50So, I suppose that was one of the biggest challenges,
35:53just putting yourself in that head space.
35:58That's, yeah.
36:01For me, it was, this feels like Jamie's a lot of experience now
36:07and certainly this season, I think you see, you know, elements of every season.
36:12You know, you see the young warrior, but you see, you know, the leader of men
36:16and the politician and he's drawing on all that experience.
36:20And actually, towards the middle of it, he becomes on the front foot.
36:23But, you know, it feels like last season, he's always trying to catch up to things
36:27and save his wife from something.
36:32Or vice versa.
36:35No, it feels, you know, like he does for a moment at least get into this place
36:41where he's drawing on his experience and really becoming, you know,
36:46the laird that he wanted to be, I think, in a way.
36:49But it's Outlander.
36:52So things go wrong quite quickly.
36:56I think for me, I definitely feel like this is,
37:01or I got to explore a completely different side of Claire
37:03that I don't think that I've had the opportunity to explore before.
37:10Given that they are setting up home, that it's a quieter part of their lives,
37:18it's a much more nurturing side to her.
37:22And it's not, you know, we've sort of done more career-driven Claire.
37:26And again, I think Claire has been more on the front foot before.
37:30And this was an opportunity to explore this other side of her,
37:34which, you know, I think was really interesting and it gave me a really new challenge.
37:39And that's kind of great after having already done three seasons
37:43to go into a new season and be like, oh, this is a side of her
37:45that actually I probably haven't considered enough before.
37:51And yeah, it was nice to be able to examine that.
37:54Awesome.
37:55Okay, we're going to do a couple audience questions from Deb.
37:59Hi Deb.
38:00Pickle pin gal from Pittsburgh.
38:02Who?
38:02There she is.
38:03Don't know her at all.
38:04There she is.
38:05I die.
38:07Yin's are good.
38:09Did you ever find that a certain proper costume helped you get into character
38:13for a difficult scene?
38:17What's the question?
38:18The gun.
38:20I had a scene with a gun and it was great.
38:29I can't really.
38:32You have a prediction.
38:33I have an answer.
38:33I can't give it.
38:36Like if your costume doesn't do anything for you, it does it for me.
38:48Do you guys want me to?
38:51Do you want to swap seats?
38:52Should I move?
38:52Yeah.
38:53I'm being dressed as Richard Rankin today.
38:55I think tomorrow you'll find that we swap.
38:57We just swap outfits.
39:01What was the question?
39:04Is there a certain prop that helps you get in?
39:06A certain prop?
39:07Or costume?
39:07A prop?
39:09No.
39:11I can't think of one.
39:12I'm sorry.
39:13What?
39:13Nothing that you built that whole cabin with your bare hands and not one of those props?
39:18No.
39:19I haven't really thought about it.
39:21A prop.
39:23Oh God.
39:24Help me out here.
39:26Let's move on.
39:27I'll think about that one.
39:27Richard and Sophie, do you have anything to say about that question?
39:30A prop.
39:31I really do, but...
39:34You can talk around it.
39:35I can talk around it.
39:35I hear that Jamie's quite good with bindings.
39:38Generally.
39:40I mean just generally.
39:43Just generally.
39:44Generally.
39:45Generally, yeah.
39:46Yeah.
39:46I hear he's great at tying people to horses.
39:51It's just wad on the street.
39:53Just rumours.
39:55He's good with rope.
39:56Rumours.
39:57He's good with rope.
40:00Could possibly say anything.
40:02Carol wants to know how much research you did into early American history.
40:11I assume that was for the actors.
40:15I was curious.
40:16Yes.
40:16And how much research did you do?
40:18A lot.
40:19I mean the fundamental research was done by Diana.
40:22Really.
40:23Yes.
40:23So you have that as a foundation.
40:25But in addition to that, the writers individually and as a group did their own research.
40:31Then we also had historical consultants.
40:34We had Native American consultants.
40:37I mean, but that's been a part of the show from the beginning.
40:39We've always kind of started with what Diana gave us.
40:42Writers in their individual episodes would go off and obsessively research particular things
40:48in their episode.
40:49Talking about you, Tony Graffia.
40:51You know.
40:52And then we would also hire outside consultants that we would literally call up and say, hey,
40:57does this really happen?
40:58Or what?
40:58How did this work?
40:59Or then they would read scripts and vet them and send us notes.
41:02And it's an ongoing process.
41:04So there's a lot of, and all the individual departments do research.
41:07Costume department does its own research.
41:09Art department does its own research.
41:10There's a tremendous amount of digging through old books and trying to find things.
41:14And a lot of time on Wikipedia, I'm sure.
41:18And also there's actually, just for Jamie's side, I think there's a, I think he sees a
41:23lot of similarities in his culture and the Native American culture.
41:26And I think there's a respect there.
41:29There's this warrior culture.
41:31And I think, you know, obviously he comes from a place where he has absolutely no
41:34understanding, like myself.
41:37But no, there definitely is a real similarity there.
41:41And I think there's an understanding between him eventually without giving away spoilers.
41:45But there is some sort of understanding ultimately.
41:49All right.
41:50Last.
41:51It's a long journey.
41:51Last question.
41:51Cause this is like the most important question of the night.
41:55Tell us about working with Rolo.
41:57Oh my God.
42:01Rolo's just so adorable that dog.
42:03Rolo's a complete CG creation.
42:05So don't care.
42:06Yeah.
42:06It doesn't actually exist.
42:08It's actually John Bell in a suit.
42:11I will say the one secret about Rolo is, you know, we searched far and wide.
42:16This was a big priority for us, obviously, in season three of the search for Rolo and
42:22doing it early because you obviously have to get this dog as a puppy.
42:26So you can train this dog and et cetera.
42:28Find a dog that looks like a wolf.
42:30And we got two of the sweetest dogs in history that wouldn't harm a fly, don't like to bark,
42:39like to sleep.
42:42Our Rolo, whose name is McDew, we call him Dewey, he sleeps all the time.
42:50It's very hard to get him to act ferocious.
42:52When he's not eating horse dung.
42:54Yeah.
42:56It's true.
42:57It's one of his favorite treats.
42:59I feel like...
43:01I feel like...
43:01Sitting in person is like, Rolo's supposed to growl at somebody.
43:04Aww.
43:07We had a scene where he's supposed to bark at a door and his trainer was on the other side
43:12of the door with a squeaky toy.
43:15So all you can hear is, Dewey, Dewey, weep, weep.
43:19And you're supposed to be in the scene, like, very, you know, scared.
43:24And all of that's going on.
43:26You're just, yeah.
43:27Our RAD team hates Rolo, I've got to be honest.
43:30Because the number of times Rolo's supposed to go that way and he goes that way.
43:35So he sleeps...
43:36Training is a...
43:38It's a loose term.
43:40He sleeps a lot, he eats a lot.
43:42And doesn't know what he's doing.
43:43I feel like he's learnt a lot.
43:48Who's more likely to ruin a scene?
43:51He'll fit in.
43:51Dewey or Richard?
43:52Dewey.
43:55Even Richard...
43:56I don't ruin scenes, I...
43:57Who wouldn't break a scene by laughing or causing a commotion?
44:01I think you've got the wrong impression of me.
44:03I mean...
44:04I think your co-stars have the wrong impression to you.
44:06I bring scenes to life, not ruin them.
44:09Alright, guys.
44:10Isn't that right?
44:13No one is jumping to your defense right now.
44:16Alright, we're all out of time, you guys.
44:18But thank you so much for coming.
44:19We're all out of time.
44:19It's been really fun.
44:21Thanks, Dan.
44:22Thanks, Dan.
44:23Thank you, Dan.
44:29You
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