Could you ever imagine anyone else playing Lord John Grey in Outlander besides Aussie actor David Berry?
No, me either.
However, that’s how it nearly played out in Season 6 of Outlander — and it was all thanks to the global coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 was rampant in the UK
David Berry was at home in Australia when COVID-19 struck globally. While many parts of the world saw the new disease run rampant, things were kept tightly under control in his homeland. Especially at the start of the outbreak, when there were no vaccines available, people were relatively protected from it.
Whereas Glasgow, where Outlander was set to film, was one of the places that saw a steep rise in infection rates.
And it was because of this, Berry considered skipping filming on Season 6 of Outlander.
“For me, it meant traveling outside of Australia at a time when we didn’t have any Covid [sic] at all,” Berry told News.com.au.
“The idea of going over there was extremely daunting. There was a personal risk of catching it, I don’t think we understood the disease very well then.”
Added to this was the risk that, once in Glasgow, the actor might be stranded there indefinitely due to Australia’s strict laws at the time regarding who could enter the country.
“Other Australians were being stranded overseas for long stretches of time. So to leave the country seemed like a huge risk,” Berry explained.
His love for his job saw him overcome his fears
While Berry did consider staying put in Australia and forsaking his role as the charming John Grey in Outlander, ultimately, his love for his job saw him overcome his fear of what might happen regarding COVID-19.
“In the face of adversity, you just have to keep moving forward. And I’m not saying that the adversity I faced was anything compared to what people on the front lines faced, but I would have massively regretted not taking that opportunity,” Berry revealed.
Even though Outlander won out in the end, there were still hurdles to face.
Once Berry arrived in Glasgow, he then had to spend one month in quarantine before he could even set foot on set for the two episodes he was scheduled to appear in.
In addition to this, Berry and his fellow castmates didn’t get to spend a lot of time together due to social distancing requirements while on set.
However, Outlander fans will agree that the trouble Berry went to in order to film was well worth it.
Season 6 of Outlander currently airs every Sunday night on Starz.