OUTLANDER Casting: David Berry as Lord John Grey!
Big news today: the first major casting announcement for OUTLANDER Season 3! The role of Lord John Grey will be played by Australian actor David Berry. Here's the official announcement.
No, he doesn't resemble the blond, blue-eyed, 5'6" Lord John from the books. Does it matter? The casting people have done a phenomenal job so far, and I trust that they know what they're doing. Besides, as Diana Gabaldon pointed out on Compuserve earlier today:
Steven Cree is six inches shorter than Elder Ian, and Lotte Verbeek is red-haired, blue-eyed and very thin, not buxom, creamy blonde and green-eyed. And Romann Berrux has curly light-brown hair and blue eyes, not wavy black hair and dark eyes.
Haven't heard a word of complaint about any of them, once seen on screen.
As long as he can embody the character, I agree, it doesn't really matter that he doesn't resemble the description in the books. I just hope he can do a convincing upper-class British accent! <g>
Here's the official STARZ description of Lord John Grey:
He’s a steadfast and honorable British subject, torn between a finely-honed sense of familial duty and a strong moral compass of right and wrong. He is boyishly handsome with an upper class rearing — the consummate gentleman. However, a scandal from his past has relegated Lord John to an undesirable position as governor of a desolate prison in Northern Scotland.
Of course, book-readers know Lord John is much, much more than that! I'm looking forward to seeing him match wits with Jamie in Season 3.
Yes, I know Geillis was different too (and I didn't like it, either but she did a good job with it) but I would argue that LJG is a more integral character and so should be cast better. I had heard that the actor who played Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter was up for it and he is blonde, slight and shortish and would have been more like it imo.
I guess time will tell though.