Q&A med Richard Rankin

Come chat with me today at a time that I can't work out because I don't even know what day it is. But see below for details...

Q. Do you love or hate @SamHeughan when he posts things like this? 😂😛

A. You can't beat a good bit of banter! It's always well intended fun. So... I mean... Yeah,. I hate @SamHeughan for posting this 😘

Q. Seeing you now in North Carolina I was wondering if any any of your family immigrated to the US and if you don't mind telling us what area did they settle?
A. I'm not aware of any family that moved to the States. I remember always being slightly envious of friends who had though as they always seemed to be away visiting them on holidays.

Q. Where were you and what were the first words you said when you learned you had been cast as #RogerMac
A. I was filming #thirteen in Bristol, I believe. And I think after my agent called me to let me know, I fell asleep.

Q. I haven’t read the books and a little behind on my episodes (I like to binge watch) ... please tell me, is there a happy ending for you all?
A. You'll just have to keep watching to find out!! 'Happy Ending' is definitely subjective though. .

Q. You had really bloodshot eyes in the part when you are prisoners of the Indians. How did the make-up team do that?
A. For part of the journey with the Mohawk and immediately after the beating, I had been fitted with a red contact lens. Our make up team did a wonderful job on the rest of it too and keeping track of the progression of the wounds.

Q. Where there a moment in s4 where you thought:" What the hell am I doing"? As to all the hazzles poor Roger / poor Rik had to go through?
A. I very much enjoyed my time on Season 4. I love my job. Roger, however... I asked that question many times of him from the moment he decided to be a hero. And with pretty much everything else he undertook after that.

Q. How much time did you spend in makeup each day after Roger's beating? The progression of your makeup from the end of Wilmington & through #TheDeepHeartsCore was great.
A. I was with makeup for up to 2 hours a day. So, no great hardship. People have spent a heck of a lot longer in the makeup chair.

Q. Roger has changed a lot since he began pursuing Brianna at the festival. Were there personal experiences you channeled to grow the character and if so, what were they?
A. Not so much personal experiences but this transition of Roger's character has been something I've been looking forward to for a long time and have had a good deal of time to prepare for it.

Q. Ok, I'm going to be serious here...many fans have mixed feelings about your character. What do you hope they take away from your portrayal of Roger so far?
A. I think they have mixed feelings about Roger because he's human and has his flaws and sometimes his approach can be less than optimal but his heart is always in the right place and in spite of his stubborn pride, he has unwavering integrity. A truly good man.

Q. What item from Rogers own time do you think he wishes he had with him after he traveled through the stones?
A. I was always curious why Roger didn't take penicillin with him. Especially after commending Claire on taking it. Wasn't thinking clearly, perhaps. But probably something along those lines.

Q. ⁠If it were you (instead of Roger Mac) at those #StandingStones⁠, after escaping the Mohawk, would you go through or stay to find the woman you loved?
A. I want to be romantic and say I'd stay and find the woman I loved. But... Shit... I'm being chased through country I don't know by Mohawk. Armed Mohawk. Who are in a bad mood with me. I'm going back through the stones.

Q. Was it different to portray Roger in Brianna’s dream compared to Roger in other scenes? How does the acting change when your character is within another character’s dream?
A. Well we didn't do too much of that but, yes, it was a Roger removed from reality obviously or how we normally know him. It was something we were quite aware of and playing on the day.

Q. Do you have a particular ritual before filming a difficult scene and/or one to help you decompress afterwards?
A. Yup.
Coffee before.
Coffee after to decompress.

Q. Besides Brianna, are there any other reasons #RogerMac has for staying in the 18th century?
A. Well yeah. He's a Historian who has found himself at a particularly prominent juncture in American History. At the same time, he's not going to hang around for very long. I think he's aware that he's very much not of that time.

Q. Do you think #RogerMac should actually touch that stone? Would you?
A. No.
Yes.

Q. Will there be any more singing for #RogerMac in S4?
A. 😂 I'm not sure he's in a very chirpy mood at the moment. He may be singing himself to sleep. But nothing that we filmed.

Q. Do you do your own stunts in the last episode??? 😚
A. Enjoy that.
Not sure I would call what I did stunts. I did as much as they would let me... But our stunt team did any heavy lifting. And kudos to them. They're brilliant.

Q. On a slightly more serious note, knowing how you keep yourself aware of what people say around Twitter, does it frustrate you when viewers interpret your character’s actions and motivations differently than how you envision them?
A. Not really. What we've done so far has generated a lot of discussion and debate so even if they don't necessarily agree with Roger's actions, it's still drawing them into the story and the resulting conflict/drama that follows.

Q. How long did you have to wear the clothes that you went through the stones in, and did you like wearing them?
A. I didn't mind wearing them. Plus... I always knew what costume I was getting into on any given day 😂 That particular costume was around for a long time. There's a story behind it. And it was appropriate.

Q. This is a serious question. How does one prepare for a love scene? No joke, I am actually curious, being such a shy person. Hope that's ok....🙄
A. I'm loving that people have to differentiate serious questions.
Most love scenes will start with some sort of rehearsal ahead of time and a chat with the director and your co-star so that everyone is comfortable and feels safe in what they're doing.

Q. How many take for you to film the fall from S4E10. Did it hurt your wrist? It looks pretty really.
A. A few! And, yes, my wrists were raw by the end of it. Those ropes are not very forgiving.

Q. Are you able to give input to the writers if you think Roger wouldn’t say or do what they wrote?
A. Oh I give input all the time to which @TheMattBRoberts usually replies 'Noted'.

Q. What real life event do you summon up to help you focus on a very emotional scene?⁠ ⁠
A. I try to keep it within the realm of the character and what he's personally going through. There are dimishing returns on using personal experiences or 'emotional recall' #w*nkyactorreply

Q. Can you give us a condensed version of Roger's thoughts as he stumbled along behind this Mohawk horse, mile after mile?

A. Sure.
'This is pish'

Q. I believe Roger is under-appreciated by women of today. He has strong moral character and stands up for what he believes in, yet he is just a man. Your performance is spot on!
A. Many thanks. I completely agree.

Q. If the whole acting thing hadn’t panned out for you, what would have been your other career choice?
A. Not entirely sure the acting thing _has_ panned out for me yet.
However, I'd probably remain in the industry. Always had an interest in cinematography. So maybe work towards DOP.

Q. Can Roger ever forgive Jamie?
(Actually, at this point, did he even know who Jamie was and why he beat Roger so savagely?)

A. Time is a great healer and all that.
No. I don't think at this point he had the time to process any of what was going on and can't yet fathom why it happened... But he'll come to his own conclusions, I'm sure.

Q.Are you ready for season 5?.
(Not an easy one for Roger, for sure!)
A. Yes!! Bring it on!!!
(though I'm not sure I've _technically_ been invited back yet?) 😕

Q. Will Roger be able to get his revenge on Jamie?? Would he even want to?
A. I think there's a fire and a temper on Roger that we're only really starting to see. But who knows?! Keep watching.

Q. In all seriousness, is it hard for you when you feel people are misinterpreting the character of Roger (motives, beliefs, etc)?
A. I don't know if it's much misinterpretation or rather simply not agreeing with his approach sometimes. But I think seeing this man from a contemporary perspective slightly skews his good nature and intentions slightly. He's doing his best.

Q. if Roger knew what he knew now, if he would change what he took back with him when he went through the stones initially.
A. Maybe. There's only so much you'd want to be caught with without raising suspicion though.

Q. I think you’re doing a fantastic job playing Roger, but if there was another character in the show that you could play, who would it be?🤠😇😈
A. Thank you. That's very kind. Probably Steven Bonnet.

Q. When will roger and bree stop fighting????? 😩😩😩😩
A. When will night stop becoming day...

Thanks for all your questions, folks. Sorry if I didn't get to yours. Next time!! Enjoy the rest of S4 and thanks for stopping by. Stay classy. Go... Just gonna stop there.