From The Calgary Herald:
Q: Outlander has very obsessive fans, has the interest shifted from The Hobbit to that series at these conventions?
A: They are becoming more interested in Outlander. I did a convention earlier this year and I would say it’s kind of half and half. A lot of people are coming to them now for the Outlander connection. It’s very gratifying.
More after the jump!
Q: Both Dwalin and Dougal are characters from beloved books. Is that daunting for you to know you will be portraying a character that have lived in so many people’s imaginations for years?
A: (laughs) Yes, a little bit. In the case of Dwalin in The Hobbit, it’s a responsibility. Because it’s not just the character, it’s the whole legacy of Tolkien. It looms so large in the popular imagination and not just because of the books but because of Lord of the Rings (movies.) When all of us came to do The Hobbit, we were very, very aware. When I speak to Billy Boyd (Pippin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and people that were on Rings, they didn’t have that weight of expectation at all. There was a real sense that those films could go straight to DVD, that’s how they felt about it. But obviously when we came to do the Hobbit that sense of responsibility was very, very big. And we did take it very seriously. With Dougal in Outlander, I didn’t know the books before I started. I read the first one before I started the first season. But, again, the fans of Outlander … I thought the Hobbit fans were pretty hardcore, but the fans of Outlander give them a run for their money. They take it very seriously.
Q: What makes Dougal MacKenzie tick?
A: He’s a man ruled by his heart more than his head. And at times that gets him into trouble. (This season), Gary Lewis, who plays Colum, my brother, says to me “One day you will talk your head off onto a spike.” It’s true. He’s one of those people who doesn’t think before he acts, especially when it comes to thing he holds dear like the restoration of the Stuart Monarchy. That is his main goal. While he has his fingers in many pies — manipulating people, playing them off against each other, leaving you with a sense of not quite knowing what he’s going to do next — over and above all that is that singular goal and it makes for a very interesting character to play.
We only posted the parts pertaining to Outlander. Read the full Q&A at the source here.
Reblogged this on Ana Fraser Lallybroch Blog.