Graham McTavish reflects on Outlander journey as series comes to an end

Daily Record

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Reach Screen Time spoke to the Outlander star about his time on the series
An Outlander star has recently shared insights into their experience with the colossal historical drama series, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
Graham McTavish, known for his portrayal of Clan War Chieftain Dougal MacKenzie, opened up about the internationally acclaimed series approaching its conclusion.
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Speaking to Reach Screen Time, he commented: "Well, it's a sort of strange one because I've kind of been leaving Outlander for years and they keep bringing me back. It's like Al Pacino in The Godfather Part III, they keep pulling me back in."
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He revealed with amusement: "I think the best was when they rang me and said, 'Oh, we want you to play your own bastard son' and I was like, 'Okay.'".
Open to various opportunities, he remarked: "I mean, I'm up for anything really and it was great fun to do it, and it was great fun to go back to the flashback episode stuff in season seven."
McTavish noted: "Well, you never really leave Outlander that's the thing I've learnt, because there's so many people that come into it. Even very recently I met people the other day just watching season one. So it's a continual mushrooming of the fandom."
The actor emphasised the enduring impact of the show, sharing: "There's literally not a day that doesn't go by when people stop me to talk about Outlander. Every day and in every possible part of the world, in the most unlikely places."
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Reflecting on the sustained popularity of Outlander, he stated it was "remarkable" to see the growth of its fan base, especially as the show is poised to enter its eighth and climactic season – highlighting the formidable reach of streaming platforms.
McTavish first caught the attention of network Starz for their action-packed pirate series Black Sails, but he was already committed to The Hobbit film series at the time.
When Starz approached him for a role in Outlander, a historical drama set in Scotland's rugged Highlands, McTavish was "absolutely" onboard to join.
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The next step took him to London for a chemistry read with Sam Heughan, who had already secured his spot on Outlander.
Reflecting on the meeting, McTavish shared, "It just went really, really well. We got on straight away. He was very, very warm, very welcoming, very generous and we had a great time,".
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After securing his role, he along with fellow cast members engaged in Highland bootcamp, diving deep into Diana Gabaldon's vivid universe.
McTavish has admitted: "The thing that I would emphasise is that nobody, when we were making [Outlander] especially the first season, really had any idea how it would be received."
He elaborated on the pressures they faced: "We were aware of the huge fan following that the books had and we had that kind of weight of responsibility in that respect, but we didn't know whether people would like it."
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The actor then spoke about the challenge of gauging the show's potential success from within its production: "When you're inside something like that, it's very difficult to get a view from the outside of what is this going to be like."
Concluding with appreciation for the team, he remarked: "We were very lucky with all the people we were working with. It's just been a real phenomenon. It's been wonderful."
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The cast and crew of Outlander have wrapped up filming for the final season, although Starz has yet to announce a release date.
In the interim, Starz will broadcast its 10-episode prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. This series is set years prior to the original drama's timeline and delves into the lives of Jamie (portrayed by Heughan) and Claire Fraser's (Caitríona Balfe) parents.
Unlike Outlander, which is based on existing source material, Blood of My Blood is an entirely new creation. The narrative centres around the romance between Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) in 17th century Scotland, as well as the World War I love story between Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) and Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) amidst the trenches.
The series will also introduce younger versions of characters such as Dougal (Sam Retford), Colum MacKenzie (Séamus McLean Ross), Ned Gowan (Conor MacNeill), Lord Lovat (Tony Curran), and Jocasta Cameron (Sadhbh Malin).