Here’s an interview of Lotte Verbeek and Ron D. Moore with The Hollywood Reporter
From THR
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Outlander‘s “By the Pricking of My Thumbs” episode.]
Starz’s Outlander picked up from its eventful midseason return Saturday with another jam-packed hour in which the Duke of Sandringham was introduced and Geillis made a shocking revelation.
Read the interview after the jump
What was it like to play that reveal where she’s performing the ritual Claire and Frank (Tobias Menzies) had previously seen in the 1940s?
Verbeek: It was very physical and revealing for her: both mentally and physically (laughs). It’s the first time that it wasn’t so much about clues being drawn out like we’ve seen throughout the season; it’s ultimately about Geillis going all out. It’s a very exciting arc Geillis has: you know that there’s a lot of mystery and there’s probably going to be a lot of surprises and now we actually get to see more of her true nature — or at least the dismantling of the facade. It’s a little bit grittier and darker and more intense, whereas the first half felt a little bit more romantic. It’s definitely an exciting time.
What were your thoughts when you found out she was pregnant with Dougal’s baby?
Verbeek: I didn’t read the books ahead of time, but when I read the script it was a surprise. With this kind of character you know she’s got something up her sleeve and that is fun. As much as I love to be surprised by what I read, I also like the surprise of it for the book fans. Because [they] already know what’s going to happen, but still they’re excited to see this just by the way that we’re going to tell the story.
What do you think about the relationship between Dougal and Geillis?
Verbeek: Ultimately it’s romantic because however you want to look at it I believe she truly, really, deeply is in love with Dougal. She really does love him and she sees an equal in him that she hasn’t really known before. We see that her first marriage was really one of safety and convenience, whereas with Dougal, that’s not convenient at all. In fact, it’s not really helpful to be with a guy who is a drunk and who has a temper and shouldn’t really be seen with Geillis. But she truly loves him; she sees the passion they both have. It’s interesting because you never get to see them together on screen — they barely share screen time — so you don’t see the effects of them being together. Well until the big reveal that she’s pregnant. Obviously that wasn’t Immaculate Conception. It’s truly romantic.
Why did Claire go out of her way to meet with the Duke of Sandringham?
Moore: We diverted from the book in that area. In the book version of the events, the Duke arrived and goes off with Jamie (Sam Heughan) on a hunting exhibition, meaning a lot of the action would take place off camera. We wanted to play him a little bit more forward in the show [because] he is set up as this interesting figure that plays both sides against the middle, and you question constantly what side he’s on. So we thought, to deal with Jamie and the price on his head, let’s bring that to the front, and put Claire in his world for a minute. Have her take charge of that because in the second season, the tables are going to get turned in some interesting ways.
You really see how authoritative she is in her own environment. It’s interesting to bring that out in her — she’s in her element when she’s playing with the big boys.
Moore: She has a lot of strength and she’s not apprehensive. The formative experience for this character was when she was an Army field nurse during World War II and right off the bat that tells me a lot about who she is, and what she able to deal with. I don’t think she’s naïve: I think she’s seen power, and what men are capable of, and what she is capable of — and she’s not afraid to use strength when she has to because she dealt with life and death. She saw a horrific war, person to person, and I think that changes people. She couldn’t be the shy, retiring English Rose anymore. She’s somebody else.
You can read rest of the interview at the source
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