'Outlander' stars Charles Vandervaart and Carla Woodcock tease that the “seed has been planted” for a William and Amaranthus wedding

Where to Stream: Outlander Powered by Reelgood Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 “Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut” lets William Ransom, the Earl of Ellesmere (Charles Vandervaart ), learn how to see his title — and his parentage — in new, positive ways. William gets this fresh perspective on being James Fraser’s (Sam Heughan ) secret bastard son from two important women in his family tree on the Starz show. First, his half-sister, Brianna MacKenzie (Sophie Skelton ), and then his cousin’s widow/new love interest Lady Amaranthus Grey (Carla Woodcock ). **Spoilers for Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 “Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,” now streaming on Starz** In this week’s all-new installment of Outlander, Brianna and her husband Roger (Richard Rankin ) travel to Savannah on two totally different missions. Roger is going to attempt to barter some of the family’s gold for muskets to arm the revolutionaries on Fraser’s Ridge. Brianna, on the other hand, is traveling to Lord John Grey’s (David Berry ) beautifully-appointed home to paint a portrait of Lady Grey. When Brianna gets there, she not only finally gets to have an honest and open heart-to-heart with her biological brother, but she also earns the jealousy of Amaranthus. Later in the episode, William reveals that Lady Grey has nothing to be jealous of because Brianna is secretly his sister. This kicks off a poignant scene where the two young people bond over their feelings of imposter syndrome as members of the upper class in Great Britain’s (usually genetic) aristocracy. When DECIDER caught up with Outlander stars Charles Vandervaart and Carla Woodcock over Zoom this week, we delved into what all of these emotional scenes mean for William’s journey and whether or not Viscountess Grey was serious when she boldly pitched the Earl of Ellesmere on marriage. DECIDER: Carla, I want to start with you because you are new to this season, the final season of Outlander. You’re joining the ranks of this amazing cast. Were you a fan before being cast? What was your relationship with the show and what was it like joining at this juncture? CARLA WOODCOCK: I had watched the show. I hadn’t watched all the seasons, but some of my friends had auditioned for it. I had gone in for the prequel, so I’d watched the show and was familiar with the characters and the story and everything by the time I got my tape through for Season 8. So I was then very excited to be cast. Of course, who doesn’t want a job? And it’s also such an incredible story. And you know, it’s all coming to an end. So it felt very special to be able to sort of come in and and see the show in its sort of final chapter. Charles, I was really struck by this week’s episode. I thought that it was very beautiful, watching William confess his bastard status to Amaranthus and the conversation that unfolds. For both of you, what does that mean for those characters to be able to see each other free of those titles? CHARLES VANDERVAART: Yeah. I mean, I think William’s previous identity has been completely revolving around those titles, and that’s why I think he had such a difficult time learning that he’s not actually the legitimate son of the of the Earl of Ellesmere. I think that this departure for him is maybe the beginning of him accepting who he truly is. And I think Amaranthus’s advice to him is that a title is not something that you are. It’s something that you have. You can actually exist outside of that title. And I think that will be a very important step for him in recovering his identity and finding out who he truly is. And fingers crossed, healing from the past. CW: Yeah, and I think with Amaranthus, she says, “My father is just a bookseller.” So I think she sees that titles are kind of a key to unlock a kingdom and a life that she’s wanted, but I imagine she had a lovely relationship with her father and her grandfather and her family. They didn’t need titles; they had these wonderful bonds without any of that. So I think that’s kind of what she’s [trying to say to him]. Yeah, as Charles was saying, it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just a thing that you have that kind of makes your life easier. So I wouldn’t get rid of it if I were you. Well, on that note, Carla, Amaranthus was very bold, just basically proposing marriage to him out of nowhere. How serious is she? Is there any cheek to it? And Charles, is William intrigued by such a blunt proposal? CW: I think she’s sort of like floating it out there to see a response. So she’s like, “Oh, you could…” And then if William was like, “No,” she would be like, “Yeah, no, I’m joking, I’m joking.” So she’s like, “I’m joking — unless? ” CV: Yeah! CW: I think she’s getting the feelers out there to see sort of what he’s thinking, because he’s not a very open character in terms of his emotions really. CV: I love that you’re doing the “JK, JK… unless? ” I mean, yeah, I think William really enjoys spending time with Amaranthus. Obviously this is such a big thing that is sprung upon him, and yeah, I think it is half in jest, but there is a maybe a level of seriousness because this is something that could genuinely happen. But I think at this point, he’s still carries quite a bit of guilt about the fact that Amaranthus is his cousin’s wife. I don’t know, he’s not fully convinced maybe that this cousin of his is actually dead. So there’s a lot to still uncover. And I think a lot of emotional turmoil for William to get over before that can be a serious consideration, but I think definitely the seed has been planted. Charles, one of my favorite William scenes is the one that you and Sophie share this episode, just in terms of the two siblings finally bonding and having a real heart to heart. I know Sophie was really hyped for that. What did it mean for you? And what does it mean for Williams to realize that he has people in the world? CV: Yeah, I mean, I think it was a bonding moment for Sophie and I because that was a really nice, meaty scene that we got to do together, and absolutely a bonding moment for William and Brianna. I think William and Brianna have this shared experience of not knowing who their father was or assuming that their father was someone that it wasn’t up until basically adulthood. Then having this information sprung on them and their entire life changed and their sense of identity had to change. I think William felt quite alone before this scene. Oh my goodness — thank goodness — that there’s someone in his family, his sister , that has basically been through the exact same thing and has come out of it okay. Has come out of it still with the relationship with Jamie. I think that maybe changed something in his head and hopefully that means that he can reconcile with Jamie and develop some kind of relationship. Because I think that is the way forward for for William in terms of healing. Carla, I want to talk about the beetle waistcoat from last episode because it is stunning. I’m assuming you did not do the embroidery yourself, but what did seeing that and knowing the detail about it tell you about who Amaranthus is? CW: Oh, firstly, I have to shout out Nadine Campbell, our costume designer and her team, because that waistcoat is absolutely stunning. And as far as I’m aware, those beetles are — were they real, Charles? CV: I think so, yeah. CW: Yeah, it’s like insane. But I think it shows that Amaranthus is a very smart woman and she’s very meticulous. Also, you know, she probably has a lot of time on her hands. So she’s spent a lot of time creating this beautiful creation that was meant for her first husband, Benjamin, and he never got to wear it. So I think it means a lot to her to be able to give that to William. Also, it’s again, she’s always sort of sowing a little bit of a seed of trying to gauge where William’s at in his romantic interests in her. So I think him taking that, she sort of sees that as a little step, a little way in to his mental and emotional state. Charles, you kind of alluded to the fact that Amaranthus is the widow of your character’s cousin. Last season, you fell for a woman who is probably your niece . I’m curious if it’s occurred to William that there are women outside his family tree? CV: I don’t I think he knows that. I think his dating pool is the family reunion. [Laughs] You know, I try and get him some some slack because that was probably the status quo at that time period, especially for Lords. But it is a bit weird. Twice in a row, William? Two’s a pattern, William! I mean, he shrugs off Amaranthus’s jealousy of Brianna. Like, “Oh, that’s my sister!” That’s too far. CW: He had a line. CV: That’s where he draws the line. Yeah, direct sibling. Speaking to other actors from the show, I know that you guys shot multiple endings. Do you have any inkling at this point where characters end? And how did you feel about the overall arc this season for where you leave Amaranthus and William? CW: Charles, have you got anything to say about the ending? CV: I was like, “How do I say anything without spoiling everything?” Like, yeah, this is tough. I mean, I think that they both helped each other quite a bit on their journey of recovery from the kind of mutual trauma that they’ve been experiencing. I think they do have a very deep connection, where that goes, I have no idea. Again, I don’t even know how the story ends. So we’ll see. CW: I can’t remember. I can’t remember how it ends. I don’t remember. On that note, just for one last quick question, if Starz ever wanted you guys to come back and reprise your roles for a sequel or film anything a spinoff down the line, are you open to that? Do you think there’s more meat on the bone for these characters? CW: Of course. Definitely. I think there’s always more. I mean, Outlander ‘s huge. It’s like a universe, so there’s always more story there, I think. CV: Yeah. Diana Gabaldon paved such a lovely, beautiful pathway for these characters, and there’s so much more to discover. I mean, it would be absolutely fantastic. This show — the cast and crew — were such a once in a lifetime cast and crew to be a part of. If we can reprise that and have that happen again, it would be absolutely magical. So yeah, let’s keep our fingers crossed for that. Someone start funding it, please. Let’s make a GoFundMe! This interview has been edited and formatted for clarity. Tags Charles Vandervaart Outlander Queue And A Starz