“We’re excited to welcome Izzy and Joey to the Outlander family and can’t wait for fans to see how these two fantastic actors bring Rachel and Denzell to life,” said Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner, writer and executive producer. “Denzel has a real urge to join the Continental Army and serve as a surgeon because he believes that liberty is a gift from God. And so that then starts their journey as Rachel comes with me,” Phillips said. “She’s a big more conflicted though,” Meikle-Small said. “She just has to go. She’s like, “I have to go with him.” Previously announced as joining the cast was Canadian actor Charles Vandervaart, who will play William Ransom, the illegitimate son of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) from a one-night tryst Jamie had with Geneva Dunsany, the daughter of Lord and Lady Dunsany, while he was indentured at Helwater estate. At that time executive producer Maril Davis said, “The character of William Ransom is a wonderful role, and one fans have been eager to see. Finding someone with the talent and physicality to play Jamie’s son was a daunting task, but Charles’ charisma was evident during the audition process and we are excited to see what he will bring to William’s multi-layered journey.” The Quaker brother and sister are introduced into the story when their lives are disrupted by the arrival of Young Ian (John Bell) at their farm with a sick and injured William. Denzell has been trained as a Doctor of Medicine in both Boston and London, and he is actually a doctor that Claire (Caitríona Balfe) will come to know and approve of. As a firm believer in liberty, Denzell is preparing to join the Revolutionary Army as a surgeon, which goes against the approval of his fellow Quakers, and puts his sister Rachel in the position of having to follow him to war rather than staying home on their family farm. Rachel is modest as befits her religion but also shows flashes of a fiery spirit that attracts the admiration of both William and Young Ian, which will make for an interesting competition between the two men, but she is also an excellent nurse for her brother. At this point—at least in the books, Ian knows that William is Jamie’s son but William isn’t aware of the fact. He only knows he was raised by his stepfather, Lord John Grey (David Berry), and remembers Jamie as a groom from when he was a boy at Helwater. Also returning for season 7 are Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin as Brianna and Roger MacKenzie. Look for season 7 of Outlander to premiere in 2023 as production is currently ongoing in Scotland. Next, Diana Gabaldon on Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, the 9th of 10 Planned Outlander Novels, and Her 2022 Book Recommendations
