After nearly two full years of this interminable Droughlander, Sunday, March 6 will finally see the release of Outlander Season 6! While we’ve been promised that the new season will have plenty of ups and downs for our favorite characters, along with some “complicated” storylines, we also know that there will be a lot of love to go around on the dramatic romance, as usual. But, there were some changes made off camera when it comes to the sexiest romantic moments that Outlander is so well known for, and star Sam Heughan recently revealed that he brought in an intimacy coordinator for several reasons.
Why Did Sam Heughan Get An Intimacy Coordinator For Outlander Season 6?
Anyone who’s watched even a few episodes of Outlander will know that the series, and many of its actors (especially stars Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan) have had more than their share of on-screen sexytimes because of the show. Something they, apparently, haven’t had in the past, though, is help in crafting those scenes with assistance from an intimacy coordinator.
During a chat with the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Parade), Heughan noted that he enlisted the services of such an advisor for the upcoming episodes of the series, and said:
I brought on board the intimacy advisor Vanessa Coffey because with intimate scenes, it’s important that everyone is protected, but also we find a way to explore these scenes and actually maybe get something more out of them. I think this season we’ve done an even better job with those types of scenes because she really helped us understand what we are doing and how we build up this relationship and take it somewhere else, so she’s been terrific.
We’ve heard before that advisors like Coffey do more than just make sure that everyone involved in intimate scenes are comfortable with what everyone will be showing and / or doing in those moments, and Heughan confirmed just how important intimacy coordinators can be when helping shows like Outlander put them together. She was also able to help them make sure that romantic times on the series serve the story as much as possible.
That’s something that will likely be even more important in Outlander Season 6, seeing as how Claire’s kidnapping, beating, and rape by several men will be very fresh in her mind. Caitríona Balfe has noted previously that this season will see Claire deal with her trauma in unusual ways and try to rely on “putting on a very brave face.”
This may include her attempting to jump back into her sexual relationship with Jamie, even though she isn’t fully ready for it, or believing she’s ready and soon realizing that the time isn’t right yet. And, showing aspects of Claire and Jamie’s marriage like that will probably take quite a bit of care.
Luckily, it sounds as though Sam Heughan was very glad that he had Vanessa Coffey join the crew for Season 6, and he also shared that he understands how much times have changed and wanted the rest of the cast to benefit from her expertise, as well, noting:
I got into this in a very different time and the Starz network was different, but also the industry was different, and so we really didn’t know what we were doing. We were thrown in the deep end and had to learn through the experience, so I think it’s been really great to bring Vanessa on board to help younger actors with less experience.
We can all see the fruits of their labor when Outlander returns for Season 6 on Starz, March 6. For more to watch, be sure to check out other recently released and upcoming romantic TV shows, and take a look at the full list of 2022 TV premiere dates!
