Outlander Gained It’s Most Dangerous Villain Ever in Captain Cunningham

Every show needs a good villain, and Outlander has certainly had its fare few.

One of the most memorable is definitely Black Jack Randall, and Stephen Bonnet isn’t that far behind him.

However, none of them have been as dangerous as Outlander Season 8’s Captain Charles Cunningham, played by Kieran Bew.

Cunningham is a man who believes in a prophecy, and with that belief comes the thought that he won’t die for another five years. So, what is there to lose when it comes to the fight at Fraser’s Ridge?

Bew has faultlessly played Cunningham. Sure, parts of the story have changed from the book, but Bew’s demeanor on the show is everything I imagined.

And after my time watching him as Bill on Warrior, I just knew that would be the case, so when TV Fanatic got the opportunity to chat with him, I couldn’t pass it up.

He delves into everything that makes Cunningham a dangerous man, while sharing what comes next, since he’s not exactly dead yet!

I want to start by sharing that I fell in love with your acting on Warrior. So, when I saw you cast as Cunningham on Outlander, I was so excited, because I could see you perfectly matching him.

Thank you very much! I’m really delighted to hear you watched Warrior.

I was gutted that it was canceled.

So were we, and it’s now available to stream on HBO Max in the UK. 

Bill was a really nice character to play, and I was as excited about Cunningham as I was about Bill, because when I get a character that’s got that many layers and is manipulating people to either keep a secret or push a secret, I can’t wait to get to work.

Had you read the books at all before auditioning?

No. I hadn’t read the books. I had watched the show, and I was very sad because I thought I wouldn’t get to hang out with Sam [Heughan].

Then this came up, and I felt very lucky, because he’s a great s**t bag.

That’s one way of putting it! I find him fascinating because, as you said, there are so many layers to him. What’s been your favorite part of the role?

I think he’s from Scotland, a Tory, and a politicking character. He cares about the choices he makes. He thinks he’s making the right choices, so in that respect, the politicking he does as Fraser’s Ridge is a mission.

I genuinely think that he thinks it’s what’s best for commerce and the people who live there. He’s willing to go to any lengths to really get it done, because it’s an admission. 

It’s the arrogance, the verbosity, and his vocabulary. They gave me such great dialogue.

There was one point in [Outlander Season 8 Episode 2] “Prophecies” where they were trying to cut the speech when he talks about his son and change his accent to RP to make him sound English, and I lobbied against it.

His being from Scotland and having this experience with the British and the strange lowlands makes it so much worse when he betrays Jamie. He’s so much worse when he says, “I’m gonna kill you,” than if he were British and fighting for the king.

Tobias [Menzies] nailed that during Outlander Season 1. So, for me, it was much more interesting if he were Scottish.

And Scotland has such a rich history.

It does! And he has that attitude, and he’s willing to be charming and gentle, or is willing to be hard and hold space. It was really fun for me.

When I played Bill for Warrior, I basically said that I wanted him to be Northern Irish. That was a very specific choice to make Bill that way, and it was the same with Cunningham.

When I read it, I said, “This guy is charming. He can be on the front foot and affable, but underneath it, he’s harsh and direct.”

I looked at the Scottish actors that I love. I always investigate people whom I admire. So, Bill Patterson is very much on the front foot and puts everyone at ease.

Then Brian Cox, who’s from a completely different place, has a very heavy thing where he sits back, listens, and makes people uncomfortable.

This guy has both of those abilities, so I watched people I admired.

For Bill, I looked at Brendan Gleeson and other great Irish actors. Being in this job and getting roles like this, when they’re as well written as this, I just look to people who, in my mind, were the best and try to get as close to that as possible.

Cunningham is a dangerous man. He doesn’t think he can die for another five years. What’s it like ot go in with that confidence? Because he genuinely believes it.

Yeah, he genuinely believes it, and it’s scary because he’s got the confidence of being in his political position. He’s got the backing of the king. He’s got military orders, which means he’s got military financing.

On top of that, he has the arrogance of someone who thinks they’re impervious for at least five years and has made peace with that. That’s terrifying because he’s willing to do anything.

There’s a debate about whether or not he actually killed the bear. I think he probably walked right up to it and did something completely insane. Even if he didn’t, he did start chopping into it with the confidence of somebody who knows they can’t get hurt fatally.

That’s a whole other level of arrogance.

It makes for an interesting exit for you as well. Most other characters have been killed off. They can never return. Cunningham is paralyzed, so he’s alive. What’s going through his mind at the end of Outlander Season 8 Episode 5?

He’s stealing himself through the experience of being paralyzed, but he’s never going to stop trying to work out how he can come out on top.

He’s never going to stop trying to align himself with the person who thinks he’s in power to get what he wants and get himself safe.

He might be in a wheelchair, but he’s going to look at the asset of it and think about how he can use it to gain sympathy to stay in the game to take Fraser’s Ridge a different way.

I joked with the guys and said it should be a movie. I could come back in a wheelchair, and it’d be really Machiavellian.

I don’t think he would stop, as depressed or devastated as he might be that he’s paralyzed. He still believes in the five-year-and-a-box thing. It might be in a wheelchair, but it’s five years.

And he still has his wits about him.

Yeah, he can use his head. I had an accident 10 years ago. I broke my back surfing really badly and ended up in an ambulance, so I had a personal experience of being in a position where you’re lying on your back, and somebody is rolling you over, and you have to be very careful.

I was traveling to the hospital when I told my wife, “I’ll be a writer.” That’s hilarious because I don’t really enjoy writing; I’d much rather act. I guess I was in shock.

I’m incredibly lucky that I’m walking around, but I had direct experience of what it’s like to lie on your back and contemplate the rest of your life in a different way.

Cunningham has his mother by his side, as well, who is not going to let him give up in any way.

Absolutely! She’s such a great character.

Frances [Tomelty], who plays Elspeth, has become a really good friend. We had a couple of auditions in a hotel room, and she helped.

She put me on self-tape in the hotel corridor for some massive blockbuster movie, which I didn’t get, but it was hilarious because you have to work out how ot put your iPhone on top of a stack that’s as tall as you.

We had chairs and tables and things in the hotel stacked in the corridors, and people were coming past. It was pretty hilarious, but the two of us had a great relationship and rapport.

It’s so funny when she tells me to wiggle my toes, and I’m shouting out, “I am, Mother!”

We were desperately trying not to laugh. We weren’t trying to make it funny, but it was just naturally funny and relatable for people. Your mom’s trying to mother you, and you’re trying to be domineering and scary.

She managed to make him look like a little boy.

We covered the best part of the Outlander character, but what has been the best part of being on the whole set?

That’s hard to choose.

Other than the cast, whom I would have wished I could have done more seasons with, the sets were phenomenally made.

They built an incredible house, which I referenced in Episode 1 or 2. You could have lived in it. The detail was exceptional.

I got to ride a horse and cart. They taught me to drive a horse and cart.

The Scottish countryside was stunning, and it was so sunny that we couldn’t film for a few days. We had to wait for the clouds.

That’s never the case in Scotland!

Yeah, we were very lucky.

Outlander has reached its halfway point of the final season, and we’re starting to tread into unknown territory. Watch the new episodes on Fridays on Starz, and stay tuned for coverage from yours truly.

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