‘Outlander’ Has Finally Found Brianna Randall, Starz Hit Casts Sophie Skelton In Pivotal Role

Outlander fans can finally stop waiting, as the search for the actress who will play Brianna has finally been found. Entertainment Weekly reports, Starz has announced that Sophie Skelton has landed the much talked about role in the upcoming season of the hit show.

For those who don’t know who Brianna is, she is described as a stunning, redheaded young woman with a strong mind and wisdom beyond her years. She is the coveted daughter of Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe), which is where all those great traits come from.

Some fans wonder how Jamie and Claire have a 20-year-old daughter. Fans of the TV series may have to wait until April to figure it out, but fans of the Outlander books know that the new season, based on the second book of Diana Gabaldon’s epic series Dragonfly in Amber, includes a major time jump.

In August 2015, E! News, spoke with the show’s producer Ronald D. Moore about casting the children of Jamie and Claire. He stated that they were planning on finding the perfect actress to portray Brianna, which he said he was willing to take his time doing. The comment also went for Jamie and Claire’s adopted son, Fergus.

“There’s no one particular thing that you’re looking for in any of these roles, except that when they get on camera, they kind of become that character and they lose themselves in the role,” Moore said, according to E! News. “It’s just one of those things that you just know it when you see it. When you see the tape, you just sort of sit up and go, ‘Oh my god!’ It’s an ineffable quality that the right actor with the right role can bring to the show.”

Meanwhile, Starz isn’t revealing much when it comes to Brianna other than who will portray her; fans still don’t know when they will be introduced to her when the show returns in April. However, in Gabaldon’s book, Dragonfly in Amber, Brianna is introduced earlier in the story, before the action jumps back to 1700s Paris.

With that said, here’s a little information about the actress who will be playing Brianna. Skelton was born in Woodford, Cheshire; the talented actress is a trained singer and dancer who also is known for her roles in U.K. series Doctors, DCI Banks, Waterloo Road, and Foyle’s War. Her most recent appearance was as Gemma Holt in a single episode of BBC drama Casualty, Forsaking All Others. She’s also due to play the title role of Ren, which is an upcoming fantasy action-adventure series.

Skelton isn’t the only new face fans will be seeing in the upcoming season of Outlander. According to E! News, Stanley Weber has been cast as Compte St. Germain, a wine merchant and member of the French Court, while Richard Rankin is set to portray Roger Wakefield, the adult form of Reverend Wakefield’s son, and Frances De La Tour, who starred in Harry Potter as Madame Olympe Maxime, will play the role of Mother Hildegarde.

Two other actors will also make their introduction to the show as family members. Robert Cavanah will play Jaime’s cousin, Jared, who they will meet in France, and Laurence Dobiesz will portray Alex, Jack Black Randall’s cousin.

As for the plot for Season 2, fans will be watching Claire take Jamie to France, where the duo will attempt to penetrate the Jacobite rebellion in order to stop the battle of Culloden.

Outlander Season 2 returns to Starz this April.

Tell us! Will you be tuning in to Outlander when it returns? Let us know in the comments and check out the first official trailer for Season 2 below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVw1QI178Wk

[Image via Starz]