Outlander season 5: Could a cast member direct down the road?
Outlander video – Check out some more of our thoughts on the show’s season 4 finale in the video at the bottom of this article! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube so you don’t miss out on our weekly Outlander videos (they will continue throughout the Droughtlander) and also take a look at our full series playlist.
The inspiration for this question comes via a recent Sam Heughan Twitter Q&A, one in which he proclaims that he would be interested in taking on the role of director someday in the event he was given the opportunity. That’s certainly a fun thing to think about, but of course having an actor direct others (and themselves!) is not a particularly easy thing to do — especially with a show like this.
The first major challenge that comes along with having a cast member involved behind the scenes is simply this: Time. Directing an episode of scripted TV is an extremely time-consuming process, one that takes months of lead-up and prep before you even get into shooting. It also takes a good chunk of time after the fact where you work on post-production and editing.
It’s certainly something that we’ve seen before — there are actors on Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Arrow, and many other network shows who take on this role on occasion. Even on Vikings season 6, we know that Katheryn Winnick is directing an episode! Typically, it’s a little more uncommon to see cast members direct cable series, mostly because it’s often a different kind of shoot and there’s more work that goes into every single episode.
There’s also another challenge to think about: Having to direct yourself. This is why actors who direct tend to have a smaller role in their episode since it’s hard to shift out of director mode into actor mode in the middle of being on a shoot. In going back to the Winnick example, it’s possible that she won’t even be in her Vikings episode — we saw some season 5 episodes without Lagertha already, and there’s no guarantee the character even survives until that point since there’s long been a prophecy on the show that she would be killed. If someone like Sam Heughan or Caitriona Balfe were to direct an Outlander episode, we would imagine that it could mean less of Jamie or Claire in that particular hour — it’d be an incredible personal achievement for them, but we certainly saw some divided reactions on the internet this season to episodes that did not feature them as prominently.
Personally, we would love to see an Outlander cast member take on the gig at some point down the line — it’s a chance to get another creative voice behind the scenes and, beyond that, an opportunity for them to develop a skill that they could use for years down the road. Whenever Outlander is over (hopefully, not anytime soon), these actor/directors could be able to seek jobs in either field.
Related News – Why scenes are often cut from Outlander, other shows
Do you want to see some Outlander cast members direct down the road? Share now in the comments below! (Photo: Starz.)