The script for Outlander was revised after Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan requested amendments to elements of a significant storyline.
Heughan’s character, Jamie Fraser, endures a horrific sexual assault in prison towards the finale of season one. Consequently, his relationship with his wife Claire, portrayed by Balfe, becomes strained as they depart for Paris in the second instalment.
The co-stars manifested worries concerning the couple’s handle on the distressing aftermath of the rape upon receiving the inaugural drafts for the show’s subsequent series.
Heughan disclosed that their apprehensions were voiced to the drama’s writing team, resulting in an immediate rework of the script.
In an interview with Backstage, he expressed: “It felt like they (Jamie and Claire) got over what happened in season one and there wasn’t enough of a hangover.”
The actor recounted: “We went back to them and, actually, they completely reworked it. It was great to see (showrunner) Ron [Moore] going ‘OK, we can delay that and move this forward here.’ It’s great fun to be able to have that influence on the script.”
Voicing approval of Outlander writers’ readiness to involve actors in the creative process, he deemed it “really fruitful”, remarking: “You are the one person who is looking only at that journey, that one character.”
He then added: “The writers are looking at the structure and different characters and how they all kind of interact. So it’s always an interesting thing to stand up for.”
In the second season, Jamie’s character, played by Heughan, was more a part of 20th century Parisian society rather than a Scottish highlander dealing with PTSD. Speaking on how the script changes were received, Balfe highlighted how “beautiful to watch” her co-star was.
She remarked: “The two of us were quite apprehensive; it felt like we were being thrust into this new world. And Sam had this beautiful storyline suffering from PTSD and he was so fantastic.”
“He has this physical strength but then this softness that’s so beautiful to watch. Given these circumstantial shifts, as Sam and I were experiencing discomfort, so were Claire and Jamie. It helps to feed our journey as characters.”
Source: irishstar.com