'Outlander' star Graham McTavish says playing Dougal MacKenzie was fun as he had a 'broad canvas to work with'
Graham McTavish is not just an actor but a veteran in the business. A popular face of Scottish, English and American entertainment, McTavish has played some iconic roles in both movies and television, including 'The Hobbit' trilogy, Saint of Killers on 'Preacher', and recently as Dougal Mackenzie on 'Outlander'.
We got into a quick and candid chat with the actor on the red carpet of the Season 5 premiere of 'Outlander' and learned new details about his role.
We couldn't help but start off with appreciating his role as the Saint of Killers in 'Preacher' and how much we loved his character. Dark and twisted, and yet most admirable, the character has been "his favorite".
He shared, "I was a huge fan of those comics and I didn't care what I did on that show. The Saint was my favorite character."
'Preacher' aired its finale a few months ago and as fans might be aware, the ending changed a lot from how the books ended. And we wondered how McTavish would have felt about the big ending, being a huge fan himself.
"Yes, they moved stuff around. But you know, you have to acknowledge that this is a different medium and you have to tell stories in a different way. But personally, I was glad that they followed the Saint's story very closely."
Talking about his role in 'Outlander', we all know how different the screen adaptation is from the original book. We were intrigued about how McTavish's experience has been with the series and urged him to share a bit, without giving away any spoilers of course.
"One of the great things about the show is that they have a really broad canvas to work with, interesting characters to work with and a combination of characters that will surprise many," he shared.
McTavish added, "In 'Outlander', I was not familiar with the source material before I played the role. But I was very conscious about my responsibilities towards the fans, with both 'Preacher' and 'Outlander'."
On a parting note, we posed a question that has been nagging us for a while now. Talks are that Graham MacTavish might be cast for the next season of 'Witcher'. To such rumors, all that the actor had to say was, "We will see what happens."
Check the entire interview below:
You can watch more of Graham McTavish as Dougal Mackenzie in 'Outlander', currently on Season 5 on Starz.
