Outlander season 4: Ed Speleers, Maria Doyle Kennedy talk casting

Earlier this week the glorious news was made official: Ed Speleers and Maria Doyle Kennedy are joining Outlander season 4! The Downton Abbey and Orphan Black alum are going to have major roles in Stephen Bonnet and Aunt Jocasta — if you read the books, then odds are that you are familiar already with who these two people are and their overall contributions to the story. If you aren’t, don’t worry — it’s not our objective to spoil anything here. The important news to note is that they are both coming on the show, and in terms of their past work alone there is a tremendous amount to be excited about here. They know in particular how to take on a wide array of characters, though these two may be different from any other that they’ve done before.

So how excited are the two actors to be playing these roles? You can read some of their first reactions below via social media. Both are clearly excited to be joining the series, and we’ve got a pretty good feeling that they will find a wide array of new fans in the process. They also better be prepared for some long filming days and some intense work — but with their history on television already they should be more well-prepared than most. Outlander is a show that throws everything at you, whether it be night shoots, long hours, or physically and emotionally trying material.

What we do know about Speleers specifically is that, for now, he has not had a chance to film any scenes as his character just yet. He is flying in to do a read-through this week and after that, some of his work begins. While Outlander technically had their first read-through of the season last week, you should remember that different actors often begin work at different times depending on when their first episode/scene takes place. It’s fair to say that Jocasta and Stephen are going to be involved in the show in the early going, but the precise timing is unclear — and probably will be for a while.

We conclude here with another reminder that the fourth season will be filming in Scotland for many more months — it could premiere as early as the fall of next year. Odds are that there will be quite a bit more in the way of casting news to report on before then, so stay tuned. (Hopefully Starz will be as on top of the announcements as they were here.)

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Then be sure to head over to the link here right now! That is where you can secure some more news on the Print Shop scene, which may be a romantic event but also clumsy at the same time. (Remember, sometimes there is beauty in clumsiness!)

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