Outlander: Blood Of My Blood stars Harriet Slater and Hermione Corfield share brutal truth behind series’ most taboo scenes

Exclusive: Harriet Slater and Hermione Corfield knew they were signing up for some confronting scenes when they agreed to play Ellen MacKenzie and Julia Beauchamp in Outlander: Blood Of My Blood.

The prequel series to smash hit Outlander dives into some of the darkest parts of 18th Century Scotland, including period-typical gendered violence that can make it a hard watch for modern audiences. That’s precisely why it’s important.

“Outlander’s always done a good job of not shying away from really difficult topics, or conversation that are quite often taboo,” Slater told nine.com.au.

In Outlander: Blood Of My Blood‘s first season, her character is coerced into an arranged marriage, subjected to family violence, and forced to undergo a barbaric ‘purity test’ including an invasive vaginal exam in a room full of men.

To Australian viewers, these horrors may seem like relics of a bygone age, but Slater knows the truth.

“Ellen goes through some pretty awful things in season one, which unfortunately are not a million miles away from what women in some parts of the world today still have to go through,” she said.

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Forced marriage (which is distinct from a consensual arranged marriage) is among the most common modern slavery offences in Australia, per the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) report Modern slavery in Australia 2024-25.

Australia also reported the highest recorded family and domestic violence offender rate on record in 2024-25.

Invasive and traumatising pseudoscientific virginity tests are also still performed on women and girls around the world, often in secret.

So much of what Ellen is forced to endure still exists in some form today, making some of the show’s most confronting scenes more relevant than ever.

“I think it’s important to remember our history so that it’s hopefully not repeated, and so that we can understand why society is the way that it is now,” Slater said.

“In lots of ways, women are still treated as second-class citizens, unfortunately, especially in some parts of the world.”

Corfield’s Julia faces different but no less harrowing challenges after being thrown back in time, separated from husband Henry (Jeremy Irvine), and forced to take up work as a servant under the lecherous eye of Simon Fraser.

With no money or status for protection, Julia is forced to make impossible choices for the sake of her own safety and that of her unborn child.

It’s a situation many women find themselves in even today.

“Julia, she’s quite limited in what she can do, so she has to be strategic. She has to be resourceful with every move she makes,” Corfield told nine.com.au.

“And I think today we live in a society where obviously things are much, much better for women, and still a few things that need to change. In certain places more than others.”

Australia is facing an epidemic of family and domestic violence, women’s reproductive rights are being rolled back in the USA, and the ‘manosphere’ is radicalising young men to believe feminism should be combatted with violence.

Outlander: Blood Of My Blood doesn’t directly address those real-world problems, and it certainly won’t solve any of them, but it can inspire important conversations about gendered violence and the importance of female agency.

“It can be really hard to watch sometimes. But I think it’s important to [...] not ignore the really darker sides of humanity,” Slater said.

“Because I think it’s dangerous when we just bury our head in the sand and pretend that things aren’t happening.”

It’s not all doom and gloom for Julia and Ellen in Outlander: Blood Of My Blood’s second season.

Both women fight for their freedom, families, and love, finding hope and victories that keep viewers coming back even after the most confronting and taboo scenes.

Though it all, their greatest strength is their continued pursuit of agency in a world that wants to treat them as second class citizens.

It’s also what draws so many modern women to the show, and what will keep them hooked through its second season.

“There are lots of things that are extremely relevant today, in the positive and the and the negative,” Corfield said.

“In terms of exploring motherhood, exploring romance, what it is to be a woman, and getting to choose. I think all of those things are still extremely relevant today.”

Jamie Roy, who plays Highland heartthrob Brian Fraser, had compelling insights of his own about the power of mothers in Outlander: Blood Of My Blood.

Brian and his mother Davina suffer decades of abuse at the hands of his father, Simon, but Brian refuses to adopt his misogynistic ways even though it would make his life easier.

“[Brian] saw how horribly he treated women, how horribly he treated other people, how he was so selfish and only did things to further his own agenda, and I think for Brian, he wanted to be as opposite of that as possible,” Roy told nine.com.au.

“Brian also gets his love from his mum. His mum who’s in that house, who’s in the same circumstances as him [where] you have to behave in a certain way or else it could go really badly for you.”

Seeing Davina persevere and survive in such an awful situation only made Brian more determined to be a better man, for the sake of every woman he meets.

“This strong mother figure, I think he gets a lot of his gentleness and love from her.”

The new season of Outlander: Blood of my Blood will premiere September 19, only on Stan.

This article and the series it discusses contain depictions of domestic abuse, family violence, and sexual assault.

If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence or sexual assault, help is available. In Australia, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au.