'Outlander' stars gather for New York premiere

The Outlander NYC red carpet premiere at the landmark Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan was held on April 1 for the premiere screening of “The Reckoning,” the long-awaited first episode from the second half of the first season of the Starz original smash hit television series.

Mixing the genres of romance, science fiction, history and adventure, diehard fans and members of the press including TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Sari N. Kent, were lucky enough to procure a seat among the 1,131 available. We were all clamoring to view the next chapter in the television adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling eight-book series about the journey of WWII combat nurse Claire Randall, who mistakenly falls back in time to the year 1743 in Scotland.

The red carpet, held just outside the theater in an enclosed tent was transformed for the event, complete with two women, dressed in traditional Scottish garb, kilts and all, playing the bagpipes to usher in the hit show’s cast members and executive producers.

Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of the show was the first to appear on the red carpet. Decked out in a black on black suit, unfortunately, he was spirited down the red carpet by a Starz executive, who shouted to the press about his having some sort of an emergency so snagging a picture of him was impossible for most.

The first Outlander cast member to walk down the red carpet was Lotte Verbeek, who plays the mysterious Geillis Duncan on the show. Wearing a sparkling Elizabeth and James white dress, Verbeek spoke of how excited she was about the second half of season one, her character’s upcoming scenes with Claire, their friendship and how the entire dynamic of their relationship was going to take a drastic and dangerous new turn.

Next up, were the McKenzie brothers, Gary Lewis, who plays Collum Mackenzie and Graham McTavish, who plays Dougal Mackenzie. McTavish played it cool wearing just a blue T-shirt, grey kilt and blue hightop boots while Lewis wore a pristine white shirt and black suit. They spoke of being brothers, both on and off camera, often drinking whiskey together and getting into trouble. When asked who was more Scottish, neither couldn’t decide between themselves or their co-star Sam Heughan, who plays the show’s romantic hero, Jamie Fraser.

Next down the red carpet was Tobias Menzies, who plays both teacher/amateur historian Frank Randall in the 20th century and his twisted 18th century ancestor, Captain “Black Jack” Randall. He looked calm and collected in his impeccable black suit. When I asked him what he does to unwind and relax when he isn’t filming or on press tours, Menzies replied, “I like smoking cigarettes, especially rolling my own. I also like to golf and go to the theatre.” He was so comfortable; he even asked me what I like to do to unwind and we became fast friends. He was incredibly charming and personable, in other words, the polar opposite of the perverted “Captain Jack” that will continue to terrorize Jamie and Claire in the second half of season one!

Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire Randall Fraser, was the next Outlander star down the red carpet. Wearing a striking Roland Mourel dress of deep purple and black, she chuckled when I mentioned how at the beginning of the series, Claire was said to be “the best dressed prisoner on television.” When I asked further about what costumes she has enjoyed wearing so far and those she felt uncomfortable in. She reiterated her problems standing and moving around in the stunning wedding dress. She then added that, “The dress I wore in episode 5 and 6, which I wore a lot, was one of my favorites. I know all of us wanted to burn that white Schiff dress by the end of it because I wore it for so many days. Terry [Dresbach, costume designer] said we’d do a ceremonial burning of it, but that never happened.” *chuckle* As for what she’s excited about in second half of season one, she replied, “I’m excited about the Jenny stuff. [Jamie’s sister] Laura Donnelly is so talented. Also, the upcoming scenes with Geillis. [Duncan, played by Lotte Verbeek] There’s one scene in particular that she does that always gives me goose bumps.” She also said that she’s really looking forward to Claire’s interaction with the Duke of Sandringham. [played by Simon Callow]

Finally, the last Outlander star to walk the red carpet was its hero and worldwide sex symbol, Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser. Heughan looked ever so handsome in a shiny blue Hugo Boss suit. Heughan just wrapped an independent dramedy fantasy film titled When the Starlight Ends. He has said in the past how much he enjoys playing period roles, I asked him the advantages and disadvantages of acting in both period pieces and pieces like Starlight which are set in more modern times. “[For the modern pieces,] It’s delightful to go in and only have 10 minutes of makeup and costume versus hours and hours with all of the mud and grime and the kilts. So yes, it’s much easier [with the more modern roles.] Plus, shooting in Los Angeles with the sun shining everyday was very comfortable. Outlander was certainly a lot more physical and tiring, but I clearly miss our [Outlander] family.

Immediately following the red carpet was the screening of “The Reckoning,’ in the historic Zeigfeld Theater, which is New York City’s last remaining large single-screen movie theater! Not to give too much away, there was a mixture of laughing and cheering during the much talked about “Spanking scene” and as for Claire and Jamie’s love scene, this writer has no words to describe the unbridled passion, desire and sheer hunger that both characters’ bore for the other. Let’s just say, at the end of the episode, everyone in the theater was screaming with delight and on their feet!

Prior to the start of the Q & A, I, as well as other members of the press, were handed a pamphlet titled “A Tartan Affair,” which described the costumes on display inside the theater worn throughout the first season as well as the 3-D models that were used to create the sets in many of the episodes. Yet, by far, the portion of the exhibit that most wanted to see was Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) wedding dress from episode 107. It was designed by the show’s costume designer Terry Dresbach, who was unable to attend the event because she was back in Scotland hard at work on the costumes for second half of season one. Made of silvered jute linen with fine cartridge pleating, Its intricate stomacher and petticoat were a silk/linen weave adorned with 450 hand embroidered silver plate acorns and leaves. Layered under was an additional layer of silk covered in hand silvered mica shards that created a striking shimmering effect. Unfortunately, with so many people crammed in such a small space, it wasn’t possible to get a picture of the dress.

Then, the Q & A panel started under the big screen with the show’s cast and E! News’ Alicia Quarles as the moderator. Verbeek expounded on her earlier comments regarding Geillis and Claire’s upcoming scenes, “She was playful and coy in the first half of the season and fishing for information from Claire at first, but now she’s going to be a different person from who you thought she was.” McTavish was up next, saying how the Outlander fans passion seems to exceed that of fans of The Hobbit films, where McTavish played Dwalin in two of the franchise’s installments. Quarles then asked Heughan and Balfe how they prepared for “The Reckoning’s” love scene. “I’d like to say I was in the gym,” joked Heughan. “We looked at that like we look at every other intimate or love scene. We really work on the script and with the writers. We work out what we want the audience to feel and see. Ultimately, he’s from this period of time and she’s from the future so they learned a lesson from each other…through spanking.” The audience then erupted in a barrage of laughter and whooping. Quarles then asked all of the cast members their favorite brand of Scotch. Lewis was quick to jump in and say, “Try them all! What you should really do is on Saturdays, when Outlander is on, get yourself some good malt whiskey.” Quarles then moved on to Ronald D. Moore, who was present despite his earlier emergency that rushed him off the red carpet. Quarles asked him given the tremendous fan support, if the show has met his expectations. “At the beginning of any project, you hope and dream, at least I do, that this is going to be “The One” and it will be something that people will love and you’ll have red carpets and premieres. It doesn’t always work that way so when you come upon a project that actually does that. It not only meets your expectations, it exceeds them. I remember at the beginning when I was sitting at a table across from my wife [Terry Dresbach] and my producing partner with them saying to me, ‘You should read this book’ and even then I went, ‘Maybe that will be the book, that something special.’ You always have that hope. So to be here, to do it, to have this cast and be a part of something like Outlander is enormously gratifying. It’s been a great experience. It’s why I do what I do.’”