‘Outlander’ Star Richard Rankin Says Jamie Has a ‘Newfound Respect’ for Roger in Season 6
Outlander returned for season 6 on March 6. Fans finally got quenched after Droughtlander and reunited with Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe). Season 6 will prove to be a significant one for Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton), too. In a recent interview about the new season of Outlander, Richard Rankin said Roger is earning Jamie’s respect.
Rankin spoke with Parade Magazine in an interview published on March 3. He previewed the developing relationship between Roger and Jamie this season. New episodes of Outlander Season 6 air Sundays on Starz.
Rescuing Claire earned Roger Jamie’s respect
In Outlander Season 5, Roger joined the men of Fraser’s Ridge to rescue Claire. That went a long way to endearing Roger to Jamie, Rankin said. The Outlander star acknowledged that Jamie saw Roger as a lightweight when he first arrived, but Roger has proven himself since the rescue.
“I think he’s had it for a long time,” Rankin told Parade. “I think since halfway through season 5, Jamie’s seen Roger in that [new] light. He’s come to see that Roger’s not the guy that thought he was at first. There’s a newfound respect. Obviously, Roger also saved his life [when Jamie was bitten by the poisonous rattlesnake], so I think a lot came with that.”
Jamie and Roger are more equal in ‘Outlander’ season 6
Roger comes from the 20th century. He and Brianna traveled back in time to join Claire and Jamie. That’s easier said than done, and Outlander shows what a steep learning curve Roger has in Jamie’s world.
“I think now that Roger’s becoming more experienced, more hardened to the time, maybe it’s a bit less important to Roger now,” Rankin said. “He has his place, he has his family, he’s the head. He’s growing more and more every day in the 18th century, and his relationship with Jamie is, obviously, important. His relationship with the Frasers, that family unit, is very important to him.”
Roger finds his calling in ‘Outlander’ Season 6
Outlander Season 6 will also show Roger finding a new station. He’s going to become a minister like his uncle. The 20th-century Roger would never have gravitated toward the church, but his experience in the 18th century showed him the way.
“I think it’s more from a spiritual sense, and more of a sense that he can do some good and he can help people on the Ridge,” Richard Rankin said of his Outlander character. “There’s a vacancy. We apparently were expecting a minister on the Ridge, and he didn’t turn up. Roger has that background, he has that knowledge, and he can apply it for some good. I’m not entirely sure how much religion there is in it for Roger; I think it’s more from a sense of helping people, really.”
