From Schon! Magazine:
When you signed on for Outlander, did you know what a big deal it was?
I actually auditioned for it in 2014 and didn’t hear anything for a year, so assumed that someone else got it. There aren’t many characters that you audition for that you feel protective over and I really did with Brianna, so that one hit quite hard. I was really gutted. Then I got an email a year later saying, ‘Audition for Brianna in Outlander’ and I was like, “I’m sure I did this!” It turns out they were going to bring the character into the end of Season 1, never did, so they never cast it.
More after the jump!
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Had you been watching the show by this point?
When I first auditioned, the show hadn’t been out yet. You don’t get much time for auditions – a couple of days tops – so I just tried to read Brianna’s bits of the books. The second time, I binge watched Season 1 over and over because I was trying to get Claire and Jamie’s traits into Brianna. I know that first season very well!
It’s rumoured that Brianna goes back to the 18th Century and meets her father for the first time. Is there anything else you’re allowed to tell us about Season 4?
Brianna goes through quite a lot of trauma when she goes back in time and a lot of the season is dealing with the aftermath of that. It’s coming at a really important time, with everything that’s coming out with the #MeToo movement. That was something that I really dove into because I wanted to make sure that Brianna’s story gives some catharsis to people and helps them understand it a bit more in terms of a PTSD from rape trauma. It’s an intense season. She goes through a lot.
Loved the interview! It is really interesting to read of an actor’s background in their decision for a career.