Outlander’s Richard Rankin on how he landed the role of Roger MacKenzie

Outlander star Richard Rankin wasn’t always destined to be an actor. In fact, he was working in IT long before he ever graced our television screens as Roger MacKenzie. Rankin talked to the Star Tribune about his winding journey from IT professional to internationally known actor, which started with a chance encounter with some filmmakers in a restaurant in Hollywood. “They saw I was Scottish, which people find interesting,” he remembered. “We were chatting, and they asked if I ever thought of being in the industry. I think at that point, I wasn’t entirely sure WHAT I was doing. They said, ‘You have a good look for an actor’ — something along those lines. It was very conversational.”

Still, this was enough to get Rankin thinking about acting. “It sort of planted a very small idea, but it grew legs. All the way on the flight home I’m thinking, ‘Could I be an actor? Is that something I think I could do?’ And here we are. I think if that hadn’t happened I probably would have never gone into the business.”

Just think about it: if Rankin had gone to a different restaurant that day, someone else could have been playing Roger on Outlander. At this point, I can’t imagine anyone else in the part, so thank you to the fates for that one.

Anyway, Rankin eventually decided to give professional acting a go, but faced a year of rejections. It wasn’t exactly a confidence booster, but things changed when he got a role in Mary Queen of Scots. Once that happened, he was approached by and snagged a new agent, and the rest, as we say, is history.

"The best part of my job is succeeding with a role, developing and telling the story of a character, but feeling you did it justice and you did it properly. When you have developed a well-rounded, satisfying character, you get a lot from that. When you feel you’ve poured enough of yourself into that to truly have transformed the character — that’s very rewarding."

It’s safe to say that Rankin has succeeded with the role of Roger. It’s difficult to become part of a show that already has an intense following and find a place for yourself, but he has.

Way to go, Rankin! Not only did you persevere but you ended up in perhaps one of the most beloved shows of our time. Now let’s hope that Roger makes it through the fifth season of Outlander unscathed.

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