Andrew Gower made a #BonnieComeback in Season 6 of Outlander in the iconic role of the “Bonnie Prince” Charles Edward Stuart who in 1746 fled government troups under the disguise of Betty Burke, an Irish maid.
In a recent interview with the Daily Express, Andrew Gower now opened up about the challenges of wearing a corset:
“The pain of the corset is real! I’ve been in so many period dramas where I’ve been like, ‘Oh, why is my co-star not having any tea or having any dinner or lunch? Or why are they a bit late onto set or whatever?’ Now I know exactly why that is.” Gower went on to say how the costume department “laced me up”, so he would get the full corset experience. He also admitted: “Sitting was interesting.”
Fans of the show have been hoping for a spin-off centered around popular character Lord John Grey (played by Australian actor David Berry). When the audience meets (John) William Grey for the first time during the Jacobite Rising of 1745 (Season 2), he is only 15 years old and played by young English actor Oscar Kennedy. This seems to rule out his story for a prequel series although there is plenty of source material in the form of Diana Gabaldon’s LJG novellas and short stories.
In 2013, Gabaldon also published the novella Virgins with a young Jamie Fraser and best friend Ian Murray (aged 19 and 20 respectively) serving as mercenaries in 1740’s France. Given the popularity of both characters, this certainly seems like an option, even though actors Sam Heughan and Steven Cree (both born in 1980) might not be able to reprise their roles for this potential prequel.
Still a work in progress is a novel about Jamie Fraser’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser. Their wild love story would be set in early 18th century Scotland and could touch on the First Jacobite Rising of 1715. This sounds like the most plausible choice as it would feature a lot of the elements that made Outlander such a hit in the first place.
Bonnie Prince Charlie (Andrew Gower) and Flora MacDonald (Shauna MacDonald) in S6 of Outlander
After the recent #BonnieComeback, the Daily Express also talked exclusively with Andrew Gower about the possibility of a prequel series focusing on a young Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Would I be interested in a Bonnie Prince Charlie prequel? I mean, I went back for season six, so I would work with those guys. I would work with that team at the drop of a hat. They’re an amazing team.
The interesting thing about Bonnie Prince Charlie – maybe I’m getting too old to play him – who knows? To play him at the beginning… but ultimately his life story is fascinating.
If they don’t do a story about him then I’m pretty sure there will be another film or something soon. Because I had such fun playing him and so many different ways I could have played him and so many different parts of his life you can look at.
As much as we love our “Mr Mark Me”, we’re also excited to see Andrew Gower taking on new roles that allow him to show his versatility as an actor. We already know that one of his new projects is playing Detective Peter Andrews in Season 4 of Netflix hit series You with more acting jobs to be announced soon.
Andrew is also currently preparing the launch of his first EP The Jacaranda with his band Gustaffson on 19 August 2022.
Gustaffson – Andrew Gower and James Webster
ETA (4 August 2022):
Variety confirmed today that the rumoured prequel Outlander: Blood of my Blood would indeed – as speculated above – focus on the love story of Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, Jamie Fraser’s parents.
It was so nice to be able to bookend that whole journey and because myself and Sam Heughan, a few of the cast, had always spoken about Bonnie Prince Charlie’s journey, how he dressed up as Betty Burke and left Scotland. It was really special to be back. Odd going back to a character after so long.
The amazing thing about being an actor is the older we get, we change and are influenced by different things. So, I think definitely Bonnie Prince Charlie definitely aged a little bit in the Scottish countryside.
Flora MacDonald (Shauna MacDonald) helps Bonnie Prince Charlie (Andrew Gower) escape Government troups by dressing him as her maid Betty Burke
I’ve always written music since I was 16. I was in bands in Liverpool. I did the Cavern many a time.
But I had started songwriting again during lockdown and [Elbow‘s] Craig [Potter] caught wind of these tracks after having just filmed together on Running Naked and basically he asked me whether I wanted to make my EP with him. I fell to my knees in my kitchen.
We’re happy to share these pictures with you without watermarks but would ask you to credit this website or one of our Social Media outlets if you want to share any of the pictures further. Thank you so much!
Did you have pictures with / of Andrew Gower that you’d like to share with us? Did you talk to him during autographs or ask him a question during his panels? Let us know!
After some unfortunate cancellations, Andrew Gower was announced as a bonus guest for The Highlanders 5, the Outlander convention taking place next weekend (1 – 3 July 2022) at the Hilton Hotel (1 William Street) in Glasgow, Scotland (UK).
For Andrew Gower this will be the perfect opportunity to present “The Jacaranda”, the first single of his EP “The Jacaranda” with his band Gustaffson, which is set to be released on 1 July 2022.
After the #BonnieComeback, ScreenRant took a look back on Andrew Gower‘s time on Outlander and his (in)famous catchphrase #MarkMe which he uttered a total of 18 times in his 11 episodes.
ScreenRant are largely basing their article on an interview Andrew Gower gave Yahoo Entertainment in 2016 where he was asked if his use of “Mark me” was based on research, Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling novels or were invented by the series’ writers.
Eagle-eyed readers of the books will know that Diana Gabaldon indeed used the phrase several times but it was never spoken by Bonnie Prince Charlie.
There is no mention of that particular phrase in my bible on Charlie [Frank McLynn’s biography]. It has become such a part of the character. Quite interestingly, it was in a first draft and read-through for my first-ever appearance on Outlander. There was a speech in the brothel, and from that point I wanted to build on that. I kept adding a few more “Mark me’s” because it felt like his way of demanding attention and saying, “This is my moment. Pay attention.” I took it also as a very military phrase, and he is a guy who is interested in that as in, “Mark my gun” or “Mark my sword.” In a way, for me in trying to play someone with a lack of identity, I wanted to give him a phrase that he routinely uses and that speaks to who he is. The scenes where I have not used it, I was a bit more raw and emotionally cut up. I have enjoyed the collaboration with the directors and writers on deciding when to throw one in or when to cut it out. It was a nice thing to add to the character.
Andrew Gower also addressed the drinking game that was invented by dedicated Outlander fans in another interview with Access Hollywood in 2016:
AccessHollywood.com: First of all, you must be aware of the ‘Mark Me!’ drinking game [some fans have made up], yes? Andrew Gower: (laughs) Yes, I am. And I hope people are drinking safely, and maybe doing it like, every other ‘Mark me!’ and not on every one, because I don’t want to be encouraging bad hangovers on a Sunday.
AccessHollywood.com: What did you think when you first heard about that? Andrew Gower: It’s very, very sweet and I think it’s quite fitting really, that they’ve invented that game, seeing as every time I’m saying, ‘Mark me’ at the moment, I seem to be holding a glass of wine or some alcohol. So I think it’s a fitting game if ever there was one.
Andrew Gower as Bonnie Prince Charlie with portraits of “Betty Burke” and an elderly Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Andrew Gower reprised his role as Bonnie Prince Charlie twice since S2 and concluded the story with a flashback to the Prince’s flight from Scotland when Flora McDonald famously dressed him up as her Irish maid “Betty Burke” to hide him from governement troups.
Love him or hate him, the legendary Bonnie Prince Charlie is still one of the most entertaining characters to have graced the screen on Outlander. […] Andrew Gower gave a phenomenal portrayal of Prince Charles Edward Stewart. Gower’s Charles was zealous, reckless, hedonistic, and oddly sympathetic. Watching Jamie and the prince form a friendship was sheer merriment. It’s almost a shame that Jamie was initially compelled to work against the cause.
“When I left the character, it was 4 years ago, 5 years ago so I did the research on what happened [to Bonnie Prince Charlie]. Spending time as an outcast in Scotland for the prince was never his idea, so when you do meet him this season he’s not in a particularly good shape of mind. But there’s plenty of lovely fairy tales, stories that the MacKinnon family wrote about him when he was hiding up near Skye in Scotland so I read all of them.”
Scotland, June 1746: months after the devastating defeat at Culloden, Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Andrew Gower) is still hunted by Government troups. In order to disguise his identity, Flora MacDonald (Shauna MacDonald) dresses him as her Irish maid Betty Burke and together they escape in a boat “over the sea to Skye“.
North Carolina, August 1774: Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) are invited to an event at River Run, the plantation of Jamie’s wealthy Aunt Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) with Flora MacDonald as the guest of honour. In Wilmington they experience the rising tensions between the Sons of Liberty and those loyal to the British government.
Back at Fraser’s Ridge, Marsali (Lauren Lyle) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) discover a mysterious love charm while husband Roger (Richard Rankin) spends a little bit too much time with the young widow Amy McCallum (Joanne Thomson). Malva Christie (Jessica Reynolds) unveils herself as not quite the innocent girl she has appeared so far.
“Mark me” count: 1
Visit our Gallery for more screencaps from this episode!
Andrew Gower Online 