Outlander writers changed the script after Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan asked to change aspects of a key plot line.
Jamie Fraser, played by Heughan, was raped and beaten in prison at the end of the first season. It led Jamie to struggle to reconnect with his wife Claire, played by Balfe, as they set sail for Paris in the second season.
The Outlander co-stars said they were concerned with how the couple was coping in the aftermath of the rape when they received the first scripts for season two of the historical drama.
Heughan said raised their concerns with the show’s writers and the script was reworked immediately.
He told Backstage: “It felt like they (Jamie and Claire) got over what happened in season one and there wasn’t enough of a hangover.
“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.”
The actor said the open-door policy with the Outlander writers is “really fruitful”. He said: “You are the one person who is looking only at that journey, that one character.
“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.”
Heughan’s character Jamie portrayed himself as a member of Parisian society in the 20th century rather than a Scottish highlander dealing with PTSD in the second season. Balfe said her co-star was “beautiful to watch” after the changes were made to the script.
She said: “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.”
Season seven part two of Outlander is expected to air later this year.
Source: irishstar.com