Outlander 7×03 still leaves us speechless! We sat down with Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier about all the secrets of the Bug marriage and what they think of their ending. Ready?
Here we go!
Arch’s Revenge in Outlander 7×03
After the end of Outlander 7×03, we begin our interview with Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier with an obligatory question: do they think it’s fair that Arch seeks revenge against Young Ian?
For his part, Hugh Ross is clear that “yes. I think he feels that the most important thing in his life has been taken away from him, and he wants to take that away from Ian as well. He wants to take away the most important thing in Ian’s life. It’s not very civilized, in fact, is very primitive, but I think it’s quite understandable.”
While Sarah Collier thinks that Murdina would agree with Arch’s quest for revenge because “grief takes people in different ways. And revenge is one.” For Sarah, Arch’s gut reaction stems from the immense love he feels for Murdina and she would be “very, very pleased that his love was that strong, that they have that profound connection.”
The Frasers vs The Bugs
The end of Arch and Murdina Bug in Outlander 7×03 was a direct consequence of the agenda that the couple had when approaching the Fraser family. Nevertheless, they remained loyal to them for many years, in their own way. So one wonders if Arch and Murdina respected Jamie and Claire, even though they are related to Jocasta and James Cameron.
Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier think that “they definitely respect Jamie and Claire. They’ve been loyal to the Frasers and the Frasers to them. And it’s been a nice and supportive relationship on both sides.“
After analyzing the details of both the ending and the secrets that were discovered in Outlander 7×03, we focus on the preparation of Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier for their role in the show. So, what’s the first thing they did when they got the job?
Well, both Hugh and Sarah agree that “we’ve got the job, we both got the books, and we started to read them. And now because the show started to change [what happens in the books,] so as a reference, they’ve been very useful.”
Changes are Inevitable in Outlander
Discussing the changes Outlander made to the Bug’s story from the books, Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier shared their thoughts. For them, “That’s what happens. If you adapt something for a different medium, you have to add things and take things away. And it’s been very cleverly done that within the basic framework, certain things have changed and certain things have remained the same.”
“Obviously you can’t fit everything in from the book on screen. It can’t be done. So you have to structure it. You’ve got to structure episodes. You’ve also got to structure the series. So in the writing, there’re quite challenges, so we absolutely appreciate what the writers are confronted with adapting these extraordinary books for the screen,” they added.
In closing, Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier discussed with us the ins and outs of their casting and what it’s been like for them to be part of the Outlander family.
Both shared that, for the casting, they “were sent to kind of description of the character and record a tape acting out a scene.” For Hugh, “It was very nice, and we chatted away and did the tape. Then you wait and see whether or not you’ve got the job. After we got it we went to meet the casting director.”
The Casting that Change Everything
Sarah, “was in Egypt at the time, which was quite interesting. So actually, it’s rather wonderful now that we do this self-taping because otherwise it just would have been sorry, I’m in Egypt, and I really can’t make it back. So in fact, this self-taping is rather wonderful. And also from Murdina Bug, I didn’t have to look my best. So that was excellent as well.”
“And I had quite a lot of material for a couple of long speeches. So that was also very satisfying to be able to add a lot of material to show off some stuff that it required quite a few angles on the character. That made me want the job because I thought, oh, this is a really interesting character. It was lovely, “ she shared.
“It’s a competitive field out there. So we were very lucky for this era,” both pointed out. Additionally, Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier shared that they “enjoyed doing this particular show hugely. It’s been a lovely show to work on because the team of actors has been delightful. Production as well. And absolutely, costume makeup. Really all around everyone’s been delightful. It’s been a treat of a job. And we’re both very sorry that we can’t stay there forever, but that’s not the way it works.”
“Maybe they’ll use some technology and we can be in the prequel as our young versions,” they joked.
And we think it’s a great idea! Talking with Hugh Ross and Sarah Collier was a real pleasure and we discovered a new point of view of the Bug couple that is really interesting and helps to understand their decisions much better. We certainly look forward to seeing them working together again whether it’s on the Outlander prequel or any other project.
Outlander season 7 airs Fridays at 8PM ET on STARZ.
