Outlander Season 7 has found its Rachel and Denzell Hunter in Izzy Meikle-Small (Never Let Me Go, Great Expectations) and Joey Phillips (Billy Elliot, BBC’s Doctors, Accused).
Meikle-Small will play Rachel Hunter, and Phillips will play Dr. Denzell Hunter, Starz announced June 27. They are sibling Quakers whose quiet country life is changed when Young Ian (John Bell) arrives at their farm with a sick and injured William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart). The Hunter siblings first appear in Outlander Book 7, An Echo in the Bone.
“Dr. Denzell Hunter has been trained in medicine in Boston and London,” Starz describes of the elder brother. “As a firm believer in liberty, he is preparing to join the Revolutionary Army as a surgeon.” As for Rachel, Starz says she “is modest but shows flashes of a fiery spirit that attracts the admiration of both William and Young Ian.”
“We’re excited to welcome Izzy and Joey to the Outlander family and can’t wait for fans to see how these two fantastic actors bring Rachel and Denzell to life,” Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner, writer and executive producer, said in a statement.
Meikle-Small is known for playing Kathy H. in the 2010 film Never Let Me Go. She also played Estella in the 2011 BBC limited series Great Expectations, Young Molly in the 2012 film Private Peaceful, and Young Ravenna in 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman. She also appeared in the 2017 film Another Mother’s Son, which stars Outlander‘s Sophie Skelton.
Phillips is a seasoned theater actor, having performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and more. His television credits include BBC’s Doctors, Accused (now being developed for Fox), Casualty, Holby City, and Half Moon Investigates. He also appeared in The Royal (Yorkshire Television) and had a small role in the 2011 film My Angel.
Vandervaart’s casting as Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) son was announced on May 5. Raised by his step-father, Lord John Grey (David Berry), the grown up William is the ninth Earl of Ellesmere and will play a key role in the 16-episode seventh season. Amid the brewing Revolutionary War, William arrives in Wilmington full of patriotic zeal and enthusiasm to join the British Army.
Meikle-Small, Phillips, and Vandervaart join returning stars Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Skelton, and Richard Rankin. Outlander Season 7 is currently in production in Scotland after kicking off in April.
Outlander, Season 7, TBA, Starz