Hermione Corfield and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts Talk Inside Outlander: Blood of My Blood on Love, Letters, and the Highlands
When Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts first considered a prequel, he knew there were threads to pull from Diana Gabaldon’s books—like the love story of Ellen and Brian Fraser but nothing quite clicked until one “what if” moment.
“What if Claire’s parents didn’t die in the car crash we all know about from the original series?” Roberts recalls. That single thought spiraled into a sweeping new narrative: what if that accident happened in Scotland, and what if her parents went through the stones? That’s the premise behind Outlander: Blood of My Blood—a series that follows two parallel love stories in different eras, each tethered to the heart of the Outlander universe, and sometimes intertwining in surprising ways.
For Roberts, the romance between Henry and Julia—Claire’s parents—was inspired by a real life family story. His father once fell in love through written correspondence alone, without ever seeing the woman in person. “He said, ‘It’s okay. I already love her,’” Roberts remembers. That sentiment became the foundation for Henry and Julia’s courtship, which begins through heartfelt letters exchanged during World War I.
Hermione Corfield, who plays Julia, says this unusual start meant her on-screen chemistry with Jeremy Irvine (Henry) had to bloom in a way that wasn’t about shared scenes at first. Instead, she focused on how love transforms a person even when they’re physically alone through subtle changes in mannerisms, energy, and emotional openness.
Julia begins as a solitary, independent woman, but Henry’s words awaken a deep sense of kinship. “She recognizes that they are kindred spirits… soulmates,” Corfield says. “It opens up a new pathway that maybe she hadn’t quite explored yet.” Their bond is tested not just by time and circumstance, but by the lingering wounds of war. Roberts wanted the show to reflect the emotional reality of the era, noting that both soldiers in the trenches and those at home bore heavy scars.
Fans of Outlander will recognize the ominous moment: the car crash that, in the original series, ended Claire’s parents’ lives. In Blood of My Blood, that accident becomes the gateway to their time-traveling journey. Filmed in the rugged Scottish Highlands with freezing river scenes and digital effects to complete the illusion the sequence was the very seed of the series. Roberts says it had to feel plausible that, in 1924, no one would find them. “It’s vast and wild… finding these bodies would have been nearly impossible.”
Transported to the 18th century as an unmarried, pregnant woman, Julia must navigate a world where speaking her mind could be dangerous. Corfield describes her as a “caged bird… or maybe a raven clever enough to find a way out.” Early on, Julia conceals her true identity for survival, gathering information and strategizing. Over time, she regains her agency through wit and calculated risks, one of which Roberts teases as a pivotal, unexpected moment in the season.
For Roberts, the period setting is a gift to a writer. In a world without instant communication, obstacles to love arise naturally. “We have everything keeping them apart, time, space, fate and even a little magic,” he says.
And that, perhaps, is the essence of Outlander: Blood of My Blood: two love stories separated by centuries yet bound by the same forces of destiny, resilience, and the belief that connection can cross any boundary even time itself.
Watch the full conversation below:
Q&A on the Starz series Outlander: Blood of My Blood with actor Hermione Corfield and showrunner & executive producer Matthew B. Roberts. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company.
This prequel to the Outlander series focuses on the lives and courtship of the parents of Jamie Fraser: Brian Fraser and Ellen Mackenzie as well as Claire Beauchamp's parents, Henry Beauchamp and Julia Moriston.
