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Photo: Monica Schipper / Getty Images
This week's episode Outlander, "Common Ground", introduced a moment the readers of Diana Gabaldon Drums of autumn I was waiting: Jamie putting himself face to face with a bear. But the authors of the Starz drama – who like to give fans what they want but not necessarily what they expect – have added their own twist. In this episode, the bear is actually a man who, after being rejected by his Cherokee tribe for sexual assault, assumed the personality (and skin and claws) of a bear to steal food and terrorize Fraser's Ridge. Jamie drives a stake into the intruder, then pulls the body toward his Cherokee neighbors, who give Jamie the name Bear Killer and introduce Claire to his healer, Adawehi (Dance with the wolves'Tantoo Cardinal).
Waiting for the meaning of Adawehi's cryptic message for Claire (Caitriona Balfe) – "Death is sent by the gods, it will not be your fault" – Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, spoke to Vulture about the battle , life in the backcountry and if we'll ever see Jamie knit.
How did you discover the writers project of making the bear a man and what was your reaction?
We did not really know before reading the script. We obviously thought at first, you know, it's going to look a lot like The ghost and the DiCaprio [bear] fight. To read it, it's actually a man, I think it's a very nice turn. We have a few this season – moments that will surprise book fans – and I think it really adds something. It's fun to keep them in front of their seats. And it's also the beginning of Jamie's understanding and mutual respect with Native Americans. This moment, really in their eyes, gives them a little respect for who he is and vice versa.
What do you remember about filming this fight? It's night, you fight a man in bear costume with claws. How was this experience?
I mean, we always talk about the weather, but it was -7 degrees Celsius at night and it was so cold, because you know, Jamie, he's just in shirt. But it was fun. It's hard to light things like that in a forest, but it's a pretty intense fight, and it's a big guy and certainly Jamie; it shows how dangerous this country is. Jamie and Claire really have to make their way through nature, build their homes and new colonies, and the dangers are so many.
The Cherokee practice a kind of ritual at the same time as the fight. How did you interpret that?
It's actually in the editing – I did not know it was going to be interrupted. This certainly gives him that spiritual and supernatural sensation, and it's a recurring theme throughout the season, especially when it comes to American Indians. It is this ancient civilization that existed before all these settlers and immigrants. I know our writers did a lot of research and went to meet a lot of old Cherokee. This is what makes the season so interesting: we have this completely new world and a new people that we introduce.
You have already said that the similarities between Highlanders and Native Americans fascinate both Jamie and you. What did you expect to explore this season?
When we read the scripts and started filming, I was really eager to show that [fascination], even if it is not written. Jamie, at first, is very suspicious and knows nothing about Native Americans. I think that even at the beginning, he calls them "savages" and is very suspicious, and very quickly, you see that there is this unwritten understanding that develops and makes an interaction – and that's it. is because they are both very similar in that they are nations at war, they have the same story. The same is true for the Indians and for the Scots: their lands were taken by the British. It's a very similar scenario. There is great respect, and certainly at the end of the season, without giving up chairs, Jamie has entrusted one of his family members to the Amerindians. He really has a lot of understanding and respect for them.
It's safe to say that this relationship, like all relationships in Outlander, will have complications along the way. What can you say about the layers we will see?
This is very similar to Scotland and the Scottish clans: there are many tribes, some friendly and some not. The end of the season, the climax and the finale are around them, and I think it's probably our strongest final ever. We really loved turning all that, and seeing these Amerindian settlements and their homes is totally different from the series. I think people are really going … I would not say learn about this culture – you know, we're not a big history lesson – but we certainly present them a lot, and I think we've been very lucky to have more than 100 [First Nation Canadians], mainly Crees, come [to act in the show]. And they brought with them this great culture and taught us a lot. They were also very entertaining and brought a good sense of humor as well as their music. There were times when we were engaged, they were just starting to sing pow-wow [songs] or play drums near the fire, and it was quite magical.
In the perspective of the next episode, we will have a first glimpse of the finished cabin of Jamie and Claire. What is your favorite part?
obviously [production designer] Jon Gary Steele every season makes the show so amazing to watch and work. He did it again. Jamie built the cabin and, throughout the season, the colony grew: it is a basic shed that becomes a colony in its own right with various houses, plots and gardens that Claire develops. The first settlers really build everything for the first time, and they feel fresh and new. This is what is surprising in this season: we saw America in its infancy growing up really.
Caitriona told us she found it odd that Jamie and Claire did not have a separate room in their cabin.
[[[[Laughs]No why why would you need a separate room? Jamie is practical, very practical. And that means we are closer to the table, the food and the kitchen. Maybe next time he can do an extension.
Jamie will look for settlers at Fraser's Ridge for the next episode. How's it going?
There was a statistic, and I think about 40% of the settlers at that time were Scottish, and that's largely the line to follow. Jamie wants to surround Scottish comrades who will be loyal to him and understand his way of working. They go to the cities and try to encourage the settlers to live on his land. It sounds a lot like what they do in Scotland with the clan system – they all pay rent but he looks after them – and that's something he's always wanted. He wanted to be the laird and almost the chieftain, and that's really it, he's starting to build his legacy and his legacy.
Has this changed the way you play Jamie this season?
Yes, I mean [he and Claire] finally found each other and they are together, and for three seasons they fought. And they grew up, they lived a lot together and separately, and now he is more mature, he is less impulsive and he thinks a little more before acting. Of course it's Jamie Fraser, so there are a few times he has not done it, which bothers him, but he's really happy. For the first time, he is able to relax and be rooted. I think we have seen it since the first episodes, delighted and in love with the land. Then, of course, the second half of the season is upset again.
Last question: Will we see Jamie knitting at some point this season? Claire and the public come to learn from young Ian that Jamie knows how to do it. The mention is like Chekhov's weapon.
I think Jamie is far too busy to knit. But I think they actually wrote that Jamie was a scene, but I do not think it did. But to be honest, Jamie can do a lot of things, and it's funny: when they start to [to the backcountry]they do not really have anything and during the season you will see more clothes and knitted clothes appear. So in the evening, they are definitely busy and doing things. They have to survive, and it's very cold in North Carolina during the winters, so you'll certainly endure it.
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