“Bros before hos,” the actor quips about a major episode 4 reveal.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Sunday’s episode ofOutlander, “Hour of the Wolf.”
When Ian returned to Fraser’s Ridge inOutlanderseason 5, it was as a changed man.
John Bell on ‘Outlander’.Robert Wilson/Starz
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Ian has been home for some time, but we’re just learning his story now.
Was it new to you, or have you been carrying it around to inform your performance?
JOHN BELL:No, I had kind of known that this was his backstory and his history.
It was always in the back of my mind just through the books.
It’s great having books.
You know, it’s like, “Oh, I don’t die until book 9.
Ooh, I’m not even dying in book 9, great.”
It was losing the babies for Ian.
He had so much love for for his wife that of course that’s going to be heartbreaking.
But I can’t even imagine going through something like that.
So it has to be that.
you could see that in that scene, which was so beautifully done with Sam.
Really that’s at the core of what’s churning him up.
It’s lightly touched on in the episode, but he’s struggled with faith as well.
Does he believe in God?
Does he believe in the Mohawk creator?
If God is up there, where is his daughter?
And it’s really Jamie that helps him to find that again, which is beautiful.
How much of a shock is it and how badly does it hurt Ian to see Kaheroton marry Emily?
Oh my gosh, it’s so shocking.
It’s like his best friend.
Just the ultimate sense of betrayal there.
It’s an arrow to the heart and a knife in the back.
He’s completely wounded.
I don’t know.
I didn’t think that.
I think he is pissed off and hurt.
That’s why it’s so arresting to him when he sees him again.
But it was great to play, because actually me and Braeden are just total goofballs with each other.
Do you think he would actually go to Emily if Kaheroton died?
He’s a man of his word.
When he took that bracelet, that was him making that deal.
That’s what’s so lovable about Ian, is that his word is is his word.
And he will not break it.
But would she take him back?
Um, well, I hope so.
I mean, he’s quite cool.
[Laughs] You know, he’s a good hunter.
He’d provide for the family.
Ian does finally relent and tell Kaheroton that God chose him to be with her.
How much does it cost him to admit that?
Of course it’s going to cost somebody a lot to say that.
To finally have to accept that, it’s tough.
But that’s part of life.
And what do you think forces him to accept it?
I think it’s Jamie.
It’s that conversation with Jamie.
Jamie always has the right words.
He’s always got the perfect thing to say.
It’s that reconciliation that he can take lessons from both and be stronger for it.
That’s the big question, isn’t it?
Because I would say his family, but both he sees as his family.
But truly, I think it will be with his blood, with the Frasers.
As you’re able to see in the season, he is becoming Jamie’s right-hand man.
And that trust in each other is really building, and there’s a lot love there.
That’s where he finds his strength, his true being, his true self.
How crucial is this for Ian’s healing?
Might this help him finally be able to move on?
What he has gone through, he’s always going to carry that with him.
That has profoundly changed his perspective on life.
He cannot forget those things.
He is healing, I would say, but there’s a lot of unresolved trauma there.
As well as much as talking through it is great, he has a tendency towards violence.
He comes from a place of anger due to these past traumas.
So yeah, I’m excited to play that spicy side.
Is he possibly read to open his heart again?
But I do see that in him now.
I see that willingness to share and be vulnerable.
But he’s never had a problem with sharing his opinion either.
He puts his foot in his mouth a lot.
But we’ll see a little bit more of that.
Speaking of Malva, what do you think Ian makes of the Christies?
Oh, I don’t think he trusts the Christies, but he does like Malva.
Who can blame him?
She’s so charismatic and enchanting.
That’s something I immediately felt from Jess too.
It was totally not in the script.
And we were like, “This so romantic.”
So we just kissed.
They never kept it in.
Maybe that gave the game away too much.
But we were having fun.
We haven’t seen too much of Rollo yet this year.
Will we see more of him this season?
But no, I love working with Rollo and I hope we get to see more of him.
He is missing a bit, isn’t he?
You shout, “Stop!”
But yeah, he’ll be kicking about.
He’s his shadow.
He’s his wolf.
That’s his spirit guide.
I see it in that way, anyway.
