‘Outlander’ Star Sophie Skelton Thinks Brianna Is ‘Misunderstood’
Outlander star Sophie Skelton believes many fans misunderstand her character, Brianna Fraser. The cast of Outlander is currently busy filming Season 5 of the hit drama in Scotland. Although they are working hard on the new season, members of the cast took a quick break to chat about what’s ahead during a promotional event sponsored by Starz. This includes Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Richard Rankin, and Skelton, who dished on Brianna’s journey in Season 5.
What challenges will Brianna face in Season 5 of ‘Outlander’?
Skelton revealed that one of the challenges of playing Brianna is to make sure she retains her identity as a modern woman, including the way she talks, walks, and carries herself in public settings. That said, Brianna is now living in the 18th Century and has to be careful about how she acts.
After all, women’s rights were not a big thing in that time period, especially when compared to the 1960s. Even still, Skelton makes an effort to remind people that Brianna was raised in a different time, which is often a difficult task.
Brianna’s traumatic experience at the hands of Stephen Bonnet (Ed Speelers) does not make things any easier for her. In Season 5 of Outlander, Skelton revealed that Brianna is still dealing with the fallout of being raped, though she is now at a different stage in her PTSD. S
he is also adjusting to life as a new mother, which brings another layer of depth to her character. While playing Brianna is challenging at times, Skelton absolutely loves it.
Skelton thinks Brianna is misunderstood
According to Parade, Skelton also revealed that she thinks many people misunderstand Brianna, especially when it comes to her evolution as a character. The actress explained how Brianna was very closed off in Season 3 and did not like sharing about her personal life.
Between then and the upcoming season of Outlander, however, Brianna has changed and is now fairly open to others about what she is going through.
“I think Brianna’s one of those people, and Diana says, too, she’s very hard to understand and very misunderstood,” Skelton shared. “She doesn’t let people in very easily, and now we’re at a point where she really does let people in.”
Skelton added that it is easier playing a character who is open about their feelings than the opposite. It also makes it easier to know where the character’s story is going because they have a better understanding of who they are as well.
For Skelton, a turning point for Brianna was back in Season 3 of Outlander when she let Claire travel back in time to find Jamie. Although it was very difficult for Brianna to let go of her mother, it was the beginning of a major shift in her character and offered fans a glimpse at who she might become.
Skelton teases major twist
When talking about Season 5 of Outlander, Skelton hinted that her previous experience with Bonnet might come into play this season. While Brianna and Roger are raising their child as if he were their own, the identity of the father remains a mystery. In Season 5, there is a chance that Bonnet will return to claim who he thinks is his true son.
In a recent interview, Speelers talked about Bonnet’s story next season and revealed that his character does not believe he has done anything bad. This could open the door for Bonnet to return to Brianna, especially if he has reason to believe the child is his.
Speaking of twists, David Berry also talked about how Lord John Grey feels about Brianna and Roger reuniting in Season 4. Lord John served as a fill-in husband to Brianna when Roger was away, and we never got a chance to see his reaction when Roger returned.
While we may never to get to learn what happened, Berry wrote a letter to Skelton in the voice of his character for some measure of closure. The letter, which was not included in the show, encouraged Brianna to remain strong despite the absence of her husband.
Starz has not announced when the new season of Outlander will premiere. As long as filming continues on scheduled, the series is expected to return to the network later this year or early next year at the latest.
