If you haven't watched the first episode of Outlander's fourth season, proceed with caution. Spoilers ahead!
Ed Speleers is no stranger to period drama. He played Edward Seymour in Wolf Hall and Slean in Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, but he's most well-known (to American audiences, at least) as Jimmy Kent, an ambitious 1920s footman in the latter seasons of Downton Abbey.
He joins the cast of Outlander this season as Stephen Bonnet, a smuggler, pirate, and a different type of villain than we've seen on the show thus far. Speleers makes his debut in the first few minutes of the season's premiere, as a captive criminal awaiting the noose. But as the character is wont to do, he manages to evade death relatively unscathed only to pop up later that night, hidden alongside Gavin's corpse in Claire and Jamie's cart. They aid his escape from the law, only for him to betray them later on.
The episode ends as his band of thieves violently ransacks the Frasers' camp along the river. The pillaging is set to an anachronistic soundtrack of Ray Charles's "America the Beautiful" (which is also, of course, the name of the episode). The contrast of the vicious confrontation with the patriotic tune emphasizes a theme of the coming season: perhaps the American dream isn't beautiful for everyone, after all.
Below, Speleers shares why he's reluctant to call his character a villain, breaks down that final gripping scene, and coyly previews what viewers can expect from the smuggler in the season ahead.
How would you describe the character of Stephen Bonnet?
Troubled. I think he comes from a very troubled past, and he’s a survivor. I think in any situation that he finds himself in, he’s always looking for his way out, to see who can help him get out of that situation, and what is the best outcome for him.
I think that’s what’s interesting about him. You never quite know which route he’s going to use to get something out of a situation. Is he going to try and charm people or woo people or be aggressive and intimidating, or tactical? There’s a lot to him, which is what you want as an actor. You’re always looking to try play roles that have, at least on the page, as much depth as possible.
His lone motivation is survival, and also I think he’s got plenty to prove to the world. I think that anyone who is abandoned at a young age like he was, feels very much like it’s him against the world, but I think he wants to be a gentleman as well. He considers himself sophisticated to a degree, and I think he would like to better himself if he could.
Stephen Bonnet is perhaps the darkest character you've played. Do you enjoy playing the villain?
As a lover of cinema and television, I think I’ve always been drawn to those characters, and as an actor, I saw this as an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I don’t see him as a villain because I think as an actor I have to see the character’s point of view. In playing the part, I think you have to actively be able to understand him and like him. I wouldn’t be able to play him otherwise.
These are the roles you really want to play, and I hope I have the opportunity to play more like this because quite often they have the most interesting psyche and are the most interesting characters to try and understand.
Can you break down tonight’s final scene, where Stephen ambushes Claire and Jamie's camp on the riverside? What was it like to film?
Due to the nature of the scene, it took quite a long time to shoot, and there’s a lot of physicality to it. You’ve got people who’ve had their throats slit, or been knocked out or are slumped over a boat. And it boils down to my point of view, which is just Stephen and Claire on a boat.
Jamie’s been pinned down outside, and everything sort of slows down. I found it was quite a powerful way to be working. [Caitriona Balfe] is a great actress who brings an enormous level of emotional truth to her role. At times it was quite difficult—[Bonnet] is particularly aggressive and the physical nature of what he does is abhorrent, in any world. And in conversation, Cait and I had to talk about what was the best way to go. But from a purely creative point of view it was an amazing scene to shoot. Julian [Holmes], the director, I’d worked with years ago, so there was a trust and a rapport there.
But I think it’s completely effective with the music. I think it’s a really clever choice as well. It makes it much more emotive. The great thing is that we’ve been through that process creatively with the dialogue anyway, and hit all the parts the we wanted to hit, so that music can be more powerful in the final edit.
Are you ready for the Outlander fandom and how passionate they are about these characters?
I love the fact that they’re passionate. I don’t know how to be ready, but I think passion’s a great thing in life. I think if anybody wants to be passionate about books or TV, absolutely bring it on. I hope that they can get behind the character as well.
I don’t mind them hating me, passionately hating me in terms of the character, I'm all for that. I look forward to engaging with them all.
You've done a number of period dramas. What draws you to the genre?
That’s the CV really. I’m not particularly wedded to period, I think that's just how it’s played out. With the work that has presented itself to me, those have been the right choices to make. I’d love to do more contemporary things. What counts is the role and the people I'd be working with—the team behind the project—but I’m up for all sorts of things. I’m open to all suggestions.
Your Downton Abbey character, Jimmy Kent, exited before the show was over, but do you have any scoop on the upcoming film?
I haven’t got a Scooby Doo about that. I’ve got friends in it, but no, I don’t know anything about it. I’m sure it’ll be lovely.
What can we expect from Stephen Bonnet in the rest of the season?
I think people are going to have an interesting time watching him. If and when that happens, I’m not sure I can say. But he’s a fun character to play, so I think even judging by the first episode, there’s more to come from him.
As the digital director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers culture, entertainment, and a range of other subjects
