Season 4 of Outlandermay be over, but, like Jamie and Claire Fraser, our love can stand the test of time. We took a deep-dive into the making of Outlander—ahead are the 50 craziest facts you never knew about the show.
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Author Diana Gabaldon was inspired to write 'Outlander' by an episode of 'Doctor Who.'
Gabaldon was particularly drawn to the character Jamie McCrimmon.
The department is comprised of multiple rooms, all loaded with gowns and shoes. It's so big and complex that costumer designer Terry Dresbach started a digital inventory system called "Mother" to keep track of everything.
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Every single costume is hand-dyed and aged—no details go overlooked.
"It gets painted, it gets sprayed, it gets torched. We do everything," Dresbach told us.
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Claire's main 18th century outfit has 12 multiples.
When casting for Jamie began, Liam Neeson and Sean Connery were the first contenders.
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Sam Heughan eventually landed the role after a Skype interview.
Heughan interviewed with executive producer Maril Davis and co-executive producer Ira Behr, and they immediately felt that they had found their Jamie.
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But, Gabaldon wasn't initially convinced.
Before she saw Heughan's audition tape, Gabaldon looked up his IMBD. Her reaction to his photos? "This man is grotesque," which has now become a running joke between the two.
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The casting of Claire took much longer than anticipated.
Although season 1 premiered in 2014, Gabaldon first published the series in 1991.
Fans of the books were worried the original text would be majorly altered.
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While much of the plot has stayed the same, Gabaldon has struggled with certain scenes being cut.
In particular, she argued with directors that Claire and Father Anselm's season one chapel scene was pivotal—which, after much debate, ended up making the cut.
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The show's sex scenes take a different approach than most TV shows, with women taking the lead.
"We're so used to seeing women being objectified, as objects of desire of men, but it's rare when you see a woman owning her sexuality, directing it, orchestrating the sequence of events," Balfe told Vulture.
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U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron requested the series' U.K. premiere be delayed.
Leaked emails from the Sony hack revealed that Cameron had the show pushed back, as he was worried it would interfere with the country's historic vote.
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The show films in real, historical sites.
Doune Castle and Blackness Castle have to be left in pristine condition after shooting.
