Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater are taking on the role of Jamie Fraser’s parents in the new Outlander prequel, Outlander: Blood of My Blood — so how well do they know their onscreen son?
Roy, 32, and Slater, 30, don’t actually interact with Jamie (Sam Heughan) on the new Starz series (since it takes place before he is born), but the actors did their homework.
“We both started watching [Outlander] when we got the audition,” Slater told Us Weekly during a joint interview with Roy.
“[Finishing the whole binge] is a badge we wear with pride,” he said. “We’re the only cast members who have watched the whole thing.”
In the video above, Us Weekly tested how well the costars were paying attention in a game of Jamie-related trivia — and spoiler alert, they clearly took notes!
Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on Starz Friday, August 8, at 8 p.m. ET. Watch Slater and Roy play trivia above or keep reading for more from what to expect from the new series:
Did you have any hesitation about joining a spinoff?
HS: You don’t need to have seen Outlander to watch it, understand it and enjoy it. But if you’re a fan, there’s a lot in there —
JR: So many Easter eggs.
Jamie, did you study Sam’s mannerisms to prepare?
JR: I wanted Brian to be his own thing. But someone came up to me within the first few weeks of shooting and said, “I see you do the same thing Sam does with your hands.” Apparently, the way we move our heads is quite similar too. The first time I met him, we sat outside a coffee shop in Glasgow, and within a few minutes, I was actually thinking, “Oh, yeah, I can see what everyone’s talking about.”
How would you describe Ellen and Brian’s love story? Romeo and Juliet?
HS: That’s a good comparison. It’s forbidden love. They’re from rival families. They know they shouldn’t be together, but they just have to be. Even the moment we meet is, maybe, slightly inspired by Romeo and Juliet when they’ve just got glimpses of each other — it reminded me of the fish tank scene [in 1996’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet].
JR: It’s a romance you are willing to risk it all for. It’s literally life or death.
We were happy to see more kilts!
JR: Each morning, a costumer would come in and wrap you up like a little burrito while you’re on the floor. It’s extremely humbling, but you get over it quickly, and it helps create this lovely friendship.
Harriet, how were your costumes?
HS: They’re made of wool a lot of the time. It’s not great when it’s raining ’cause they get so heavy — just drenched. I remember this one scene, Séamus [McLean Ross] leaned over and went, “You smell like a horse.” [Laughs] I thought he was joking. Then I got back to my trailer and was like, “Whoa, I really do.”
