The play is based on a series of best-selling novels written by Diana Gabaldon (7 books sold more than 20 million copies, and the eighth book will be released this fall). The story is full of four elements: fantasy, romance, history and adventure.
The play is a "crossing" theme that the Chinese crazy love. The protagonist of the story Claire Randall (played by Irish model and actor Caitriona Balfe) was a field nurse in the Second World War. Returned to the Scottish Highlands in 1743 in 1945. There, she was involved in a struggle and was forced to marry the handsome Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) when her life was threatened. Claire has since struggled between two different lives and two different men-one needs her to remain loyal, while the other can satisfy her desires. Claire is the absolute core of the story, and all the plots revolve around her, so finding a suitable actor is very important for the show. The producer of the show Ron Moore ("Battlestar Galactica") highly praised Caitriona Balfe's image and temperament as exactly the same as Claire he imagined. He never knew who Caitriona Balfe was, but after seeing her audition video for the first time, he immediately decided that he was the best person to play Claire. Later, after trial reading of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan's script, Ron Moore was even more sure that he had found the right person.
Laura Donnelly plays Jenny Fraser Murray, the sister of the protagonist Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), who raised him on behalf of his mother. Jenny is as stubborn and impatient as Jamie, so the two siblings often quarrel. Jenny is smart and capable, taking care of the ancestral estate of the Fraser family. Jenny is married to Jamie's best friend, Ian Murray, and they already have a child. When the play begins, their second child is about to be born.
Lotte Verbeek plays Geillis Duncan, the wife of the District Attorney, full of mystery, and many people believe she is a witch. She is introverted and knows a thing or two about black magic. She showed a friendly attitude towards Claire, the protagonist who traveled through time to the Scottish Highlands in the 18th century. In fact, everything she did has ulterior motives.
James Fleet plays the Scottish historian Reverend Wakefield. On the 1940 timeline, he interacted with the protagonist Claire and her husband Frank.
Tobias Menzies from "Game of Thrones" plays Claire's husband Frank Randall, a history professor with a keen interest in the 18th century, who is eager to understand his family by studying history. Tobias Menzies will also play the role of Frank's ancestor Jonathan Randall (nicknamed "Black Jack"), a captain in the British army in the 18th century, who was ordered to go to Scotland to destroy the local rebel forces. Claire will see Jonathan with her own eyes-although he and Frank look exactly the same, this fierce "ancestor" and the gentle Frank are completely two types of people.
Another actor from "Game of Thrones" Duncan Lacroix plays Jamie's godfather Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, taciturn and very loyal to Jamie. At first he and the others in the tribe suspected that Claire was a spy sent by the enemy, but for the sake of Jamie, he finally accepted Claire.
Scottish actors Graham McTavish and Gary Lewis play Dougal MacKenzie and Colum MacKenzie, respectively. They are the uncles of the protagonist Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and have always hoped that their nephew will be loyal to their tribe. Among them, Dougal MacKenzie is the leader of the MacKenzie tribe. He is experienced, well-trained, and capable of leadership. He secretly supports the rebels against the British. Although his brother Colum controls the land and other assets, he would accomplish nothing without Dougal's help. Colum is troubled by a mysterious disease. Sometimes his legs lose the ability to move, and sometimes he feels physically painful. He numbs himself with alcohol and only shows up when necessary to maintain his image as a "leader".
Simon Callow plays the Duke of Sandringham. He is rich and powerful, relying on multiple alliances to maintain his power.
StarZ's subscription number for the show is not the traditional 10 episodes of the TV network, but an unprecedented 16 episodes (which happens to contain the entire content of the first book of the original book). Producer Ron Moore admitted at the New York Animation Conference that he would not change the original too much because his wife is a hard-core fan of the original novel and he is not allowed to "tamper" the content of the novel. At present they have not considered the issue of adapting the second book. Some popular characters—such as Tobias Menzies—have more roles in TV dramas than in novels. Moore admits that the classic moments in the book are sometimes only a few short sentences, but TV shows need a lot of foreshadowing to achieve the same effect. The opening in the play is different from the opening in the book-the prologue in the book describes Claire walking a long distance in the forest, while the two-minute opening in the play describes Claire's rescue in the field during World War II. Claire's marriage will be described with a lot of reminiscence shots.
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