Meet Izzy Meikle-Small and Joey Phillips— 'Outlander's Hot New Stars for Season 7

Last week on Outlander, we finally met Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips) and his sister Rachel (Izzy Mikle-Small). The Quaker brother and sister are going to play a big part in the remaining episodes of season 7 and into season 8.

Denzell, who has a medical degree, will be working alongside Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) on the various battlefields as the American Revolution heats up, and Rachel will join him to help by nursing the wounded militia men, but she will also have an intriguing storyline as both William (Charles Vandervaart) and Young Ian (John Bell) are smitten by her unpretentious charms.

Parade spoke to the two new cast members at the beginning of the season to get their take on their characters.

“Rachel’s very kind and smart and loyal,” Izzy says. “We see her become a woman in this season. She’s gone out into the world and she’s experiencing life for the first time outside of her sheltered upbringing. She meets boys for the first time and has romantic relationships and we see that exciting side and it brings out the cheeky side of her. She gets to be feisty. She’s a complicated character and she goes through this incredible journey. I think it's so fun to play a character with so much duality and with such important conflicts, like her faith.”

As for Joey, he says of Denzell, “He’s the most wonderful, kind, loyal character. I think it’s amazing to see his struggles, as well, and the conflicts that he goes through. Being a Quaker and very devout, it goes against everything he believes in to join the Continental Army because Quakers are very opposed to violence and to war. It’s a real-life shift for the both of them, leaving behind this life that they’ve always known of peace and security.”

Related: Outlander Reveals Captivating First-Look Portraits of Denzell and Rachel Hunter From Season 7

And the shift happens almost immediately on tonight’s episode, but we won’t spoil it here. Suffice to say, it is a definite eye opener for Denzell and Rachel, and they are lucky enough to have William by their side.

“To be thrown into this world of violence and war and to be surrounded by death, it’s quite jolting,” Joey continues. “Denzell carries a lot of guilt. He feels it’s his fault for bringing Rachel into this dangerous world. He’s not sure whether he’s making a difference; he’s not sure if it’s the right thing. Throughout it all, he has his faith and that’s what keeps him going. He has a brilliant relationship with Claire who becomes a mentor for him. They become very much allies in the workplace and become a little team and work together.”

Both Joey and Izzy were born in the U.K., which doesn’t have a large Quaker community, so to play their roles, they did a lot of research.

“I was so inspired once I started reading about them,” Izzy says. “I realized that they were so forward thinking for their time, the fact that they didn’t need a hierarchy, that men and women were equal, that they were some of the first abolitionists. I was like, ‘These are an amazing people and this is such a privilege to be able to tell this story.’”

One of the things that Izzy learned when she was getting fitted for the fashionable but modest wardrobe appropriate to her character's Quaker religion was that they didn’t use products that were the result of slave labor.

Related: Outlander Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on the Hellos and Goodbyes on Season 7's Fourth Episode

“Trisha Biggar, who’s our head of costume, said to me when I was doing my initial fittings, ‘We won’t fit you with anything that you would use indigo to dye it with, because that was made by slaves, and so the Quakers wouldn’t wear that.”

Izzy and Joey also spoke with Parade about what it was like to join an established series, their fan encounters, where they would time travel if they had the ability, and more.

You are the newbies this season, along with Charles. What has it been like to join the cast of such an epic show this far along in its run?

Joey: It’s been amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Everyone has made us feel so welcome, from the cast and the crew and all the fans. They’ve been so warm and positive to us, and it feels like we’re very much a part of the family now. Although it’s a bit daunting joining such a huge show, wanting to do a good job and to do these characters justice.

Izzy: I couldn’t have said it any better. When I initially got the call I’d gotten the job I was overwhelmed, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to get started. Then you obviously have that bit of nerves creep in where fans love the books, love these characters, and have loads of messages of people being like, “Rachel is my favorite character.” You’re like, “That’s amazing, I really hope I don’t ruin her for you.”

I think once we actually started and settled into it, those nerves went away. The fans have been so supportive and have been really lovely. I’m excited to see what people think of it because we’ve poured so much love and work into it over the course of the year.

Related: Outlander Star Sophie Skelton on What it Means for Brianna to Be Back in the Future

Now that you have fake lived in the 1770s what do you think you would miss most if you actually were able to time travel back?

Izzy: Flushing toilets. The idea of having to go outside in the middle of the night to get on the toilet really does not do it for me.

Joey: Maybe my toothbrush.

If you could time travel, what part of history or where would you like to visit?

Izzy: Ancient Rome. I would love to visit ancient Rome. Maybe go and see Mark Antony and Cleopatra. I’d love to meet her. That time period is just so intriguing to me and I feel like so many questions are unanswered. Like why did you build the pyramids? I need to know.

Joey: I guess seeing as how we’re in New York, I’d love to come back in the Roaring ‘20s, the F. Scott Fitzgerald era and have champagne and a wild party.

Joey, you attended a fan event in France. What was that experience like being introduced to Outlander fans? They didn’t know who you were yet, right?

Joey: No, well I didn’t really know what to expect because I think it’s quite rare for fans to meet the actor before they’ve met the character on screen. And so, in my mind, I had this vision of queues and queues of people for everybody else and then tumbleweed for me, like nobody knowing who I was. But they were amazing. They were so welcoming, and they knew all about me and Izzy, and they wanted to know everything about our experience on the show. They were just so excited. A lot of them have read the books, so they already love these characters and they’re excited to see what we do with them.

Have you had any fan encounters yet, Izzy?

Izzy: When I got out of the car yesterday from coming from the airport to get to the hotel, I’d been up since like 5 a.m. U.K. time. I was feeling a little not so cute. I got out of the car and these three really sweet fans came up to me and said, “Hi.” It was just lovely. I was surprised. I didn’t think they would really know who I was. They were so sweet, and they’d read the books and they loved Rachel.

New episodes of Outlander are available to stream weekly on Fridays at midnight on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms, and internationally on the Lionsgate+ premium streaming platform in the U.K. New episodes will air weekly on the STARZ linear platform on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET in the U.S.

Next, Outlander EP Maril Davis Teases What Will Happen in the Final Season (Season 8)

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