Adapted from the best-selling books by Diana Gabaldon, the Starz drama series Outlander, now in its sixth season and drawing from the sixth book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, sees Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) navigating colonial America in the home they’ve built together at Fraser’s Ridge. As happens in any community, the larger it grows, the more conflict that arises and the more division that it creates, and you find yourself left to decide whether you can continue to maintain peace or you have to fight to defend your land and family.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin talked about the Season 6 journey for Brianna and Roger, what they’re excited about fans getting to see, making a home at Fraser’s Ridge, Bree’s desire to help, and how fans might feel by the end of the season. Rankin also talked about what it’s been like to get to grow and develop as a photographer while he’s on set, and how he’s definitely interested in trying his hand at directing.

Collider: There’s always anticipation before the new season of any show starts, but it’s even more so with this show because fans have been waiting even longer than usual. What are you most excited about fans getting to see with what’s in store for this season?

SOPHIE SKELTON: Just seeing a version of Roger and Brianna that they haven’t seen before. We’ve been lucky with our characters that we’ve got to work with most of the cast because we’ve managed to spend the time zones and everything else. We’ve had quite a rounded experience, in terms of as actors, but I think this is the first time that we’ve seen them really comfortable in their own skin and out of the line of fire, in terms of everything that’s happened to them in the 1700s, and also just in a really lovely place, relationship and family-wise with Jemmy. They just seem really rooted and really comfortable. It brings out this whole new dynamic and these whole new beautiful scenes and nuances that we’re just really excited for the fans to see. There are quiet, lovely moments.

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Image via Starz

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It’s clear that Bree and Roger don’t fit into the past the same way that Claire has. They’ve already attempted to try to go back to the 20th century. How hard will it be on them now, having made that attempt and having it not work out? Will they be even more driven to return this season?

RANKIN: I think it’s because they never made that decision to stay. That’s the difference between Roger and Brianna, and Claire. I think Claire had always anticipated that she would stay until she had to go back, until she was forced to go back, a couple of seasons ago. But that was never the case for Roger and Brianna. Their circumstances are different. So now that they have accepted Fraser’s Ridge and the 18th century as their home, it’s where their heart is. That’s why they ended up staying there and I think they can apply themselves more to that time. They are very strong characters and with the will that they both have, you’ll see them adapt more to that time, now that they have taken it as their own.

Sophie, is it fair to say that Bree is a little bit frustrated with wanting to be seen and thought of as someone who makes contributions to others in her community, and not just someone who has more children?

SKELTON: Yeah. I feel like it’s not necessarily that she’s dying to be seen that way. She’s secure enough in who she is, as a person, that it’s not that she needs to demonstrate anything. I think she genuinely wants to help and bring things back from the future, like inventions that she knows will help. It’s also just for her own peace of mind and her own sanity. She was already a modern woman for the ‘60s. She was probably one of the two women at MIT at that time, studying engineering, and all of a sudden, she just can’t stretch any of those muscles. I think that’s the more frustrating thing. It’s for her own sanity. As much as she loves her husband and her son and providing for them in all those ways that were more stereotypical at the time, in terms of the cleaning and cooking and whatever else, she’s a bit of a tomboy at heart and she just wants to be able to express that without being judged.

Also, she’d like to not have to hide parts of herself. You have to imagine that these people are watching themselves, every second of every day, to make sure they don’t slip up with modern language or anything that could get them, not just highlighted, but in danger because of that. She just really wants to be able to just be herself. I think that’s the hardest thing. She’s so intelligent, so imagine having that locked up when you’re cooking and cleaning, and you’re expected to get pregnant every five minutes. I think the pregnancy thing, where she gets upset about that, is mainly, as we find out later, her and Roger are struggling to get pregnant. Going through that is a really harrowing and lonely feeling. She’s obviously not told any of the family about that. In those days, and even maybe now, women feel ashamed that they can’t get pregnant. It’s like their body is failing them. It feels like that’s what your body was made to do, as a woman, and if it can’t do it, it’s a lonely place. What’s lovely is that, at least when she can’t exercise those muscles, she can talk to Roger about it now, which is really exciting for this season.

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Image via Starz

What can you say to tease the journey for the two of them this season and how their relationship will evolve together?

SKELTON: Now that they’ve decided and figured out that this place is their home, they’ve actually just decided to really be at peace with it. Now they can actually throw everything into it without trying to put down roots that they’re not sure they might have to uproot again. It’s the first season that we’re really gonna actually get to sit with these characters and see who they become without them trying to pigeonhole themselves into something for a short space of time. They’re here for the long run, and it’s a really exciting journey to just sit on them with now. Hopefully, it’s gonna be a bit of a smooth ride for them from there, even though it never is on Outlander.

Richard, at the same time that you are working on and developing your craft as an actor, you’re also working on and developing your craft as a photographer. What do you most enjoy and love about photography and exploring that art form? Why is it an art form that you’ve found yourself drawn to?

RANKIN: It’s the creativity of it and the freedom of it. It’s a very individual craft, art, or whatever you want to call it. You can do it on your own. You can improve it on your own. You can tell your own stories. You’re unlimited, in terms of what you can do and how you go about it. I love technology. Cameras bring me a lot of joy, and using them also. In terms of Outlander, it’s great to have them on set because all the cast are so giving when it comes to photography on set, and we have everyone in costume, everything’s lit, and we have great sets and set design. It’s a lot of fun to shoot there because we already have this great environment and great set. Shooting there is a real privilege, so I’m very grateful to them that they let me. I’m very grateful to the cast that they let me pull them aside and do portraits, here and there. It’s a lot of fun. Like any hobby, I just got obsessed with it, and it’s take-off from there.

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Image via Starz

Does it give you a different perspective on the camera lens? Does it make you want to direct? Do you see things differently, in that way?

RANKIN: I think that’s partly where it comes from, yeah. I’m interested in cinematography. I’m definitely interested in directing. A lot of times, I’ll wander around and see things in focal lengths. Because I’m always looking for shots, I’m looking at things in terms of how to take a picture of it. If you do something too much, or you obsess over something too much, it starts to change the way you look at things. Sometimes, if I’ve been doing a lot of photography, I’ll walk around thinking or looking at things, in terms of what frame I would be able to fit the scene before me and whether it would be a 50 mm shot or a 35 mm shot. That starts to become a bit of a headache, when you are walking around thinking of things in terms of focal lengths. It’s quite cerebral.

How would you guys say that fans will feel by the end of Season 6, especially knowing that they’ll be getting a Season 7?

SKELTON: They might be very happy with us. It’s a very tense season and very jam-packed. It really just builds and builds and builds. I think they’ll be pleased. After such a long Droughtlander, this is a very different season. It’s very fast-paced, and it’s got a lot of fresh faces and fresh relationships. You might just be really itching for Season 7 to come out. So, buckle in, it’s a bumpy ride.

RANKIN: Anticipation and excitement is how we feel about where we’re leaving the audience at the end of Episode 8.

SKELTON: Outlander is never kind to you. We’re gonna leave you on a cliffhanger.

Outlander Season 6 airs Sunday nights on Starz.